


Cif^iHi^r' 










AHASKA County, Iowa. 



CONTAINING 



Full Page Portraits and Biographical Sketches of Prominent 
and Representative Citizens of the County, 



WW 



TOGETHER WITH 



PCRTRAITS AND BIOGRAPHIES OF ALL THE GOVERNORS OF IOWA, AND 
OF THE PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES. 



CHICAGO: 
CHAPMAN BROTHEl^S, 

1887. 



iiiiixiiiiiiiirijimiiiti 



iT»i ni ii-ix i i m ixiiJ.iixj_ixi 






I iJtiKHjmg 






liii 



^ 



I 



lOT 'fi^ ifT^I 



»?»^ 



^ 



/ ^ 



mm 



: iritjgrit-itmixziuj ixiitxyn yii I 



hJBiiii; 



'ti^aaa" 



-, . I rrrxTTX I MxTTx m u u cx i 1 1 1 1 mxr ■ 




(Jj^^'.li 






5.«».^vtJ) 





ir*s^66 -"^^^^^^j^:!,-,-.. ^. , : . - ^,,-. .; ■ .A, J, :> >eai^5isw^' 



E HAVE completed our labors in writing and compiling the Portrait and Bio- 
,^GRAPHICAL Album of this (oiinty,and wish, in presenting it to our patrons, to speak 

fii ^i5 [^ h iH^l'"^ briefly of the imporiance of local works of this nature. It is certainly the duty 

If ^O N>" rmJ ' of tlie present to commemorate the past, to perpetuatethe names of the pioneers. 

to furnish a record of their early setdement, and to relate the story of their progress. 
The civilization of our day, the enlightenment of the age, and this solemn duty which 
men of tiie present time owe to their ancestors, to themselves and to their posterity, 
demand that a record of their lives and deeds should be made. In local history is found a power 
to instruct man by precedent, to enliven the mental faculties, andto waft down the river of time a safe 
vessel in which the names and actions of tiie people who contributed to raise this region from its 
prmiitive state may be preserved. Surely and rapidly the noble men, who in their vigor and prime 
came early to the county and claimed the virgin soil as their heritage, are passing to their 
graves. The number re.naining who can relate the history of the first days of settlement is 
becoming small indeed, so that an actual necessity exists for the collection and preservation of his- 
torical matter without delay, before the settlers of the wilderness are cut down by time. Not only 
IS it ofthe greatest importance to render history of pioneer times full and accurate, but it is also essen- 
tial tliat the history of tlie county, from its settlement to the present day, should be treated through its various 
phases, so that a record, complete and impartial, may be handed down to the future. The present tiie age 
I of progress, is reviewed, standing out in bold relief over the quiet, unostentatious olden times; it is abrilliant 
record, which is destined to live in the future; the good works of men, their magnificent enterprises, thcii 
lives, whetlier commercial or military, do not sink intj oblivion, but, on the contrary, grow brighter with age, 
\ ii and contribute to build up a record which carries with it precedents and principles that will l:e advanced and 
; jj observed when the acts of soulless men will be forgotten and their very names hidden in obscurity. 
}|; In the preparation of the personal sketches contained in this volume, unusual care and pains were 

: taken to have them accurate, even in the smallest detail. Indeed, nothing was passed lightly over or treated 

■ indifferently; and we flatter ourselves that it is one of the most accurate works of its nature ever published 

■ ^ As one of the most interesting features of this work, we present the portraits of numerous represent- 
t ative citizens. It has been our aim to have the prominent men of to-day, as well as the pioneers, represented 

I in this department; and we congratulate ourselves on the uniformly high character of the gentlemen whose 
: portraits we present. They are in the strictest sense representative men, and are selected from all the call- 
3 ings and professions worthy to be given. There are others, it is true, who claim equal prominence with 
_ those given; but of course it was imposfible for us to give jwrtraits of all the leading men and pioneers 
] of the county. We are under great obligation to many of the noble and generous people of this county 
i for kindly and material assistance in the preparation of this Album. 




mi 



H 



CillC.\(i<). .March. IS.'^T 



CHAPMAN BROTHERS. 



t itinr»Lm iji un.iiijr<ixxxi 



rrtrgr<i» Bi»B»»»y j r fTlfTi 




KitXTj [rrji ji 



•iiiTirriini 



W" 








TTTixixixixnixi.in 
1 1 iSxiTiirSTTCiiixT 



[-i . ri < ^r.cr ' 



:in.rr[r.d'i 





«SRTR'mrs 






-^l-vElflGRAPHlEi 



''^'di^^c^mti' 



OF TH E 




hT ^^ 



9^ ViliJ^J iJiJ £3 [3/ ] £) LB. 



AND OF THE 






■^ %0 •^' "^'4 ^^ 












^^^^sSW- 



,!D_.^;^ 



^^>^ 



^' 



^; 



1^ n 



l!^l 



I IHI WWWM I Wy j IHB I M i MiWWl 



Rll ■ nil I II 



M- 



M 



m 




lUlM 

KiiXi'iiint 

3' P!!^-Pai 



If 
i 






ft 









f E?g;gHasH?Has'iAe..dje:Hjgaaas '^9 t 



r.fe 




COPYRIGHTED 



f 

1S85. Wl fK 



H 



1 

I 
I 
I 



lic'iiixi.fMti 



>-' rriri i rrirtji rrrrTrt lii 









m 



•5»r^ 




VimilTX'llB 



pi 



ii 



m 



ii 



ii 




Ii 



am 






'% 




r-4 







il:: 

Hi 



11 : 
111 



m 

13! 
li ! 
I". 



1 
1 

ir I" 
i?t 



li: 

;i 

I : 



a a?a 



-,;i-IIIiIIJ(-]Ii»Jt»lIllIlIIHui.»ii 




FIRST PRESIDENT. 





■iK<^ 



Ml ©EOHGE WASHINGTON 



^» 



f I I'^tSii'g&'ggitgJit^^tsga'^'^'^'^^'^it^'^sgi^lt'i^t'^igltg^ ij 








HE Father of our Country was 
il^^born in Westmorland Co., V'a., 
"■ Feb. 22, 1732. His parents 
were Augustine and Mary 
^ (Ball) Washington. The family 
to which he belonged has not 
been satisfactorily traced in 
England. His great-grand- 
father, John Washington, em- 
igrated to Virginia about 1657, 
and became a prosperous 
planter. He had two sons, 
Lawrence and John. The 
former married Mildred Warner 
and had three children, John, 
Augustine and Mildred. Augus- 
tine, the father of George, first 
married Jane Butler, who bore 
him four children, two of whom, 
Lawrence and Augustine, reached 
maturity. Of six children by his 
second marriage, George was the 
eldest, the others being Betty, 
Samuel, John Augustine, Charles 
and Mildred. 
Augustine Washington, the father of George, died 
in 1743, leaving a large landed property. To his 
eldest son, Lawrence, he bequeathed an estate on 
the Patomac, afterwards known as Mount Vernon, 
and to George he left the parental residence. George 
received only such education as the neighborhood 
schools afforded, save for a short time after he left 
school, when he received private instruction in 
mathematics. His spelling was rather defective. 

n 

1 1 11X11 liiuiLaiij 






Remarkable stories are told of his great physical 
strength and development at an early age. He was 
an acknowledged leader among his companions, and 
was early noted for that nobleness of character, fair- 
ness and veracity which characterized his whole life. 

When George was 1 4 years old he had a desire to go to 
sea, and a midshipman's warrant was secured for him, 
but through the opposition of his mother the idea was 
abandoned. Two years later he was appointed 
surveyor to the immense estate of Lord Fairfax. In 
this business he spent three years in a rough frontier 
life, gaining experience which afterwards proved very 
essential to him. In 175 i, though only 19 years of 
age, he was appointed adjutant with the rank of 
major in the Virginia militia, then being trained for 
active service against the French and Indians. Soon 
after this he sailed to the West Indies with his brother 
Lawrence, who went there to restore his health. They 
soon returned, and in the summer of 1752 Lawrence 
died, leaving a large fortune to an infant daughter 
who did not long survive him. On her demise the 
estate of Mount Vernon was given to George. 

Upon the arrival of Robert Dinwiddie, as Lieuten- 
ant-Governor of Virginia, in 1752, the militia was 
reorganized, and the province divided into four mili- 
tary districts, of which the northern was assigned to 
Washington as adjutant general. Shortly after this 
a very perilous mission was assigned him and ac- 
cepted, which others had refused. This was to pro- 
ceed to the French post near Lake Erie in North- 
western Pennsylvania. The distance to be traversed 
was between 500 and 600 miles. Winter was at hand, 
and the journey was to be made without military 
escort, through a tenitory occupied by Indians. The 





m 



wm 




KUTTTTTfT-.-* 



2 ti*ii" uj'-m-izi " *-'**^ ^^'^^ 



TUTmrmfE 



T-T.^iijJLXXjI tAJXItU-"^" ^,^":* 



ixxj-iii-majtij.ii . a i i i i«i i«i-i 




_alii... «o 



GEORGE WASHINGTON. 



: -^i 



trip was a perilous one, and several limes he came near 
losing his life, yet he returned in safety and furnished 
a full and useful report of his expedition. A regiment 
of 300 men was raised in Virginia and put in com- 
mand of Col. Joshua Fry, and Major Washington was 
commissioned lieutenant-colonel. Active war was 
then begun against the French and Indians, in which 
Washington took a most important part. In the 
memorable event of July 9, 1755, known as Brad- 
dock's defeat, Washington was almost the only officer 
of distinction who escaped from the calamities of the 
day with life and honor. The other aids of Braddock 
were disabled early in the action, and Washington 
alone was left in that capacity on the field. In a letter 
to his brother he says : " I had four bullets through 
my coat, and two horses shot under me, yet I escaped 
unhurt, though death was levelin'^ my companions 
on every side." An Indian sharpshooter said he was 
not born to be killed by a bullet, for he had taken 
direct aim at him seventeen times, and failed to hit 
him. 

After having been five years in the military service, 
and vainly sought promotion in the royal army, he 
took advantage of the fall of Fort Duquesne and the 
expulsion of the French from the valley of the Ohio, 
to resign his commission. Soon after he entered the 
Legislature, where, although not a leader, he took an 
ill Ijll active and important part. January 17, 1759, he 
[fe^ married Mrs. Martha (Dandridge) Custis, the wealthy 
R [j widow of John Parke Custis. 

% r When the British Parliament had closed the port 
\WM^ of Boston, the cry went up throughout the provinces 
"" that "The cause of Boston is the cause of us all." 
It was then, at the suggestion of Virginia, that a Con- 
gress of all the colonies was called to meet at Phila- 
delphia.Sept. 5, 1774, to secure their common liberties, 
peaceably if possible. To this Congress Col. Wash- 
ington was sent as a delegate. On May 10, 1775, the 
-L u Congress re-assembled, when the hostile intentions of 
fpra] England were plainly apparent. The battles of Con- 
nT Jl cord and Lexington had been fought. Among the 
J;; y first acts of this Congress was the election of a com- 
^ \ mander-in-chief of the colonial forces. This high and 
I ' i! I responsible office was conferred upon Washington, 
l l^^ , who was still a member of the Congress. He accepted 
■ it on June 19, but upon the express condition that he 
receive no salary. He would keep an exact account 
jpf expenses and expect Congress 10 pay them and 
lothing more. It is not the object of this sketch to 
[itace the military acts of Washington, to whom the 
Ifottunes and liberties of the people of this country 
were so long confided. The war was conducted by 
: him under every possible disadvantage, and while his 
Sforces often met with reverses, yet he overcame every 
obstacle, and after seven years of heroic devotion 
and matchless skill he gained libertyfor the greatest 
^nation of earth. On Dec. 23, 1783,' Washington, in 
a. parting address of surpassing beauty, resigned his 



W^. 



11 t 

u 






commission as commander-in-chief of the army to 
to the Continental Congress sitting at Annapolis. He 
retired immediately to Mount Vernon and resumed 
his occupation as a farmer and planter, shunning all 
connection with public life. 

In February, 1 7 89, Washington was unanimously 
elected President. In his presidential career he was 
subject to the peculiar trials incidental to a new 
government ; trials from lack of confidence on the part 
of other governments; trials from want of harmony 
between the different sections of our own country; 
trials from the impoverished condition of the country, ^ 
owing to the war and want of credit; trials from the 5^j 
beginnings of party strife. He was no partisan. His • 
clear judgment could discern the golden mean ; and i 
while perhaps this alone kept our government from i 
sinking at the very outset, it left him exposed to 
attacks from both sides, which were often bitter and 
very annoying. 

At the expiration of his first term he was unani- 
mously re-elected. At the end of this term many 
were anxious that he be re-elected, but he absolutely 
refused a third nomination. On the fourth of March, 
1797, at the expiraton of his second term as Presi- 
dent, he returned to his home, hoping to pass there 
his few remaining years free from the annoyances of 
public life. Later in the year, however, his repose 
seemed likely to be interrupted by war with France. 
At the prospect of such a war he was again urged to 
take command of the armies. He chose his sub- 
ordinate officers and left to them the charge of mat- 
ters in the field, which he superintended from his 
home. In accepting the command he made the 
reservation that he was not to be in the field until 
it was necessary. In the midst of these preparations 
his life was suddenly cut off. December 12, he took 
a severe cold from a ride in the rain, which, settling 
in his throat, produced inflammation, and terminated 
fatally on the night of the fourteenth. On the eigh- 
teenth his body was borne with military honors to its 
final resting place, and interred in the family vault at 
Mount Vernon. 

Of the character of Washington it is impossible to 
speak but in terms of the highest respect and ad- 
miration. The more we see of the operations of 
our government, and the more deeply we feel the 
difficulty of uniting all opinions in a common interest, 
the more highly we must estimate the force of his tal- 
ent and character, which have been able to challenge 
the reverence of all parties, and principles, and na- 
tions, and to win a fame as extended as the limits 
of the globe, and which we cannot but believe will 
be as lasting as the existence of man. 

The person of Washington was unusally tan, erect 
and well proportioned. His muscular strength was 
great. His features were of a beautiful symmetry. 
He commanded respect without any appearance of 
haughtiness, and ever serious without being dull 




SQH 







: 11; 
- [iJ 

ll 

I 

l\ 

=i 

:. 1 
:n 
: 1 
: I 
s;i ■ 

=i.i 

a > 




J(f^ .Jc/&/n3 







G»Eff-SSEHKl 

IV : 














OHN ADAMS, the second 
President and the first Vice- 
President of the United States, 
was born in Braintree ( now 
Quincy ),Mass., and about ten 
'*^ miles from Boston, Oct. 19, 
1735. His great-grandfather, Henry 
Adams, emigrated from England 
about 1640, with a family of eight 
^ sons, and settled at Braintree. The 
parents of John were John and 
Susannah (Boylston) Adams. His 
father was a farmer of limited 
means, to which he added the bus- 
iness of shoemaking. He gave his 
eldest son, John, a classical educa- 
tion at Harvard College. John 
graduated in 1755, and at once took charge of the 
school in Worcester, Mass. This he found but a 
"school of affliction," from which he endeavored to 
gain relief by devoting himself, in addition, to the 
study of law. For this purpose he placed himself 
under the tuition of the only lawyer in the town. He 
had thought seriously of the clerical profession 
but seems to have been turned from this by what he 
termed " the frightful engines of ecclesiastical coun- 
cils, of diabolical malice, and Calvanistic good nature,'' 
of the operations of which he had been a witness in 
his native town. He was well fitted for the legal 
profession, possessing a clear, sonorous voice, being 
ready and fluent of speech, and having quick percep- 
tive powers. He gradually gained practice, and in 
1764 married Abigail Smith, a daughter of a minister, 
and a lady of superior intelligence. Shortly after his 
marriage, (1765), the attempt of Parliamentary taxa- 
tion turned him from law to politics. He look initial 
steps toward holding a town meeting, and the resolu- 



tions he offered on the subject became verj- popular 
throughout the Province, and were adopted word for 
word by over forty different towns. He moved to Bos- 
ton in 1768, and became one of the most courageous 
and prominent advocates of the popular cause, and 
was chosen a member of the General Court (the Leg- 
lislature) in 1770. 

Mr. Adams was chosen one of the first delegates 
from Massachusetts to the first Continental Congress, 
which met in 1774. Here he distinguished himself 
by his capacity for business and for debate, and ad- 
vocated the movement for independence against the 
majority of the members. In May, 1776, he moved 
and carried a resolution in Congress that the Colonies 
should assume the duties of self-government. He 
was a prominent member of the committee of five 
appointed June 11, to prepare a declaration of inde- 
pendence. This article was drawn by Jefferson, but 
on Adams devolved the task of battling it through 
Congress in a three days debate. 

On the day after the Declaration of Independence 
was passed, while his soul was yet warm with the 
glow of excited feeling, he wrote a letter to his wife, 
which, as we read it now. seems to have been dictated 
by the spirit of prophecy. "Yesterday," he says, "the 
greatest question was decided that ever was debated 
in America; and greater, perhaps, never was or will 
be decided among men. A resolution was passed 
without one dissenting colony, ' that these United 
States are, and of right ought to be, free and inde- 
pendent states.' The day is passed. The fourth of 
July, 1776, will be a memorable epoch in the histor)' 
of America. I am apt to believe it will be celebrated 
by succeeding generations, as the great anniversary 
festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of 
deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to Almighty 
God. It ought to be solemnized with pomp,^ show* _ 



3^ 



^lllllllllliliitiii 
^Tiiii:itiiTitiiiti 



H»«««»«IM1XI ' 



iTxxrall 




•irrrrnpam 



JOHN ADAMS. 



,^l 



games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations 
from one end of the continent to the other, from this 
time forward for ever. You will think me transported 
with enthusiasm, but I am not. I am well aware of 
the toil, and blood and treasure, that it will cost to 
maintain this declaration, and support and defend 
these States; yet, through all the gloom, I can see the 
rays of light and glory. I can see that the end is 
worth more than all the means; and that posterity 
will triumph, although you and I may rue, which I 
hope we shall not." 

In November, 1777, Mr. Adams was appointed a 
delegate to France and to co-operate with Bemjamin 
Franklin and Arthur Lee, who were then in Paris, in 
the endeavor to obtain assistance in arms and money 
from the French Government. This was a severe trial 
to his patriotism, as it separated him from his home, 
compelled him to cross the ocean in winter, and ex- 
posed him to great peril of capture by the British cruis- 
ers, who were seeking him. He left France June 17, 
1779. In September of the same year he was again 
Chosen to go to Paris, and there hold himself in readi- 
ness to negotiate a treaty of peace and of commerce 
with Great Britian, as soon as the British Cabinet 
might be found willing to listen to such proposels. He 
sailed for France in November, from there he went to 
Holland, where he negotiated imprtant loans and 
formed important commercial treaties. 

Finally a treaty of peace with England was signed 
Jan. 21, 1783. The re-action from the excitement, 
toil and anxiety through which Mr. Adams had passed 
threw him into a fever. After suffering froni a con- 
tinued fever and becoming feeble and emaciated he 
was advised to go to England to drink the waters of 
Bath. \\'hile in England, still drooping anddesixjnd- 
ing, he received dispatches from his own government 
urging the necessity of his going to Amsterdam to 
negotiate another loan. It was winter, his health was 
delicate, yet he immediately set out, and through 
storm, on sea, on horseback and foot,he made the trip. 
February 24, 1785, Congress appointed Mr. Adams 
envoy to the Court of St. James. Here he met face 
to face the King of England, who had so long re- 
garded him as a traitor. As England did not 
condescend to appoint a minister to the United 
States, and as Mr. Adams felt that he was accom- 
plishing but little, he sought permission to return to 
his own country, where he arrived in June, 1788. 

When Washington was first chosen President, John 
Adams, rendered illustiious by his signal services at 
home and abroad, was chosen Vice President. Again 
at the second election of Washington as President, 
Adams was chosen Vice President. In 1796, Wash- 
ington retired from public life, and Mr. Adams was 
elected President,though not without much opposition. 
Serving in this office four years,he was succeeded by 
Mr. Jefferson, his opponent in politics. 

While Mr. Adams was Vice President the great 



French Revolution shook the continent of Europe, ' 
and it was upon this point which he v/as at issue with - 
the majority of his countrymen led by Mr. Jefferson. : 
Mr. Adams felt no sympathy with the French people . 
in their struggle, for he had no confidence in their 5 
jx)wer of self-government, and he utterly abhored the n*^ 
class of atheist philosophers who he claimed caused it. " 
On the other hand Jefferson's sympathies were strongly 
enlisted in behalf of the French people. Hence or- 
iginated the alienation between these distinguished :; ^ 
men, and two powerful parties were thus soon organ- j i 
ized, Adams at the head of the one whose sympathies Jf | 
were with England and Jefferson led the other in 3_ i 
sympathy with France. ; H: 

The world has seldom seen a spectacle of more l , 
moral beauty and grandeur, than was presented by the s |h 
old age of Mr. Adams. The violence of party feeling \ [j] 
had died away, and he had begun to receive that just "-. 
appreciation which, to most men, is not accorded till : | 
after death. No one could look upon his venerable : m 
form, and think of what he had done and suffered, s i,- 
and how he had given up all the prime and strength : W 
of his life to the public good, without the deepest : { 
emotion of gratitude and respect. It was his peculiar ; \ 
good fortune to witness the complete success of the : (1 
institution which he had been so active in creating and = n 
supporring. In 1824, his cup of happiness was filled \^\ 
to the brim, by seeing his son elevated to the highest g^i 
station in the gift of the people. 5,:} 

The fourth of July, 1826, which completed the half 5j;[ 
century since the signing of the Declaration of Inde- g:; i 



pendence, arrived, and there were but three of the - : i 
signers of that immortal instrument left upon the : 
earth to hail its morning light. And, as it is 



well known, on that day two of these finished their %\ 
earthly pilgrimage, a coincidence so remarkable as ■^ 
to seem miraculous. For a few days before Mr. |ii; 
Adams had been rapidly failing, and on the morning 5^}| 
of the fourth he found himself too weak to rise from Si; C 
his bed. On being requested to name a toast for the 3j:(ij 



31 




customary celebration of the day, he exclaimed " In- 
dependence FOREVER." When the day was ushered 
in, by the ringing of bells and the firing of cannons, 
he was asked by one of his attendants if he knew g|; 
what day it was? He replied, "O yes; it is the glor- Hf 
ious fourth of July — God bless it — God bless you all." g' 
In the course of the day he said, " It is a great and 
glorious day." The last words he uttered were, 
"Jefferson survives." But he had, at one o'clock, re- gj 
signed his spirit into the hands of his God. 5 

The personal appearance and manners of Mr. H' 
Adams were not particularly prepossessing. His face, \ 
as his portrait manifests.was intellectual and expres- S 
sive, but his figure was low and ungraceful, and his ;, 
manners were frequently abrupt and uncourteous. a| 
He had neither the lofty' dignity of Washington, nor y 
the engaging elegance and gracefulness which marked p, 
the manners and address of Jefferson. gj; 

I 



I 
1 
I 
t 

I 
I 
I 
I 

.1 

;l 
I 

I 
1 
1 
1 

:l 
1 
1 



bH 











\:'' 





■^%?7^ 





HOMAS JEFFERSON was 
burn April 2, 1743, at Shad- 
^well, Albermarle county, Va. 
His i)arents were Peter and 
Jane ( Randolph) Jefferson, 
the former a native of Wales, 
and the latter born in Lon- 
don. To them were born six 
daughters and two sons, of 
whom Thomas was the elder. 
When 14 years of age his 
father died. He received a 
most liberal education, hav- 
ing been kept diligently at school 
from the time he was five years of 
age. In 1760 he entered William 
and Mary College. Williamsburg was then the seat 
: of the Colonial Court, and it was the obodeof fashion 
: a.id splendor. Young Jefferson, who was then 17 
: years old, lived somewhat expensively, keeping fine 
: horses, and much caressed by gay society, yet he 
I was earnestly devoted to his studies, and irreproacha- 
; able in his morals. It is strange, however, under 
i such influences, that he was not ruined. In the sec- 
ond year of his college course, moved by some un- 
explained inward impulse, he discarded his horses, 
society, and even his favorite violin, to which he had 
previously given much time. He often devoted fifteen 
hours a day to hard study, allowing himself for ex- 
ercise only a run in the evening twilight of a mile out 
of the city and back again. He thus attained very 
high intellectual culture, alike excellence in philoso- 
phy and the languages. The most difficult Latin and 
Greek authors he read with facility. A more finished 
scholar has seldom jjone forth from college halls ; and 




there was not to be found, perhaps, in all Virginia, a 
more pureminded, upright, gentlemanly young man. 

Immediately upon leaving college he began the 
study of law. For the short time he continued in the 
practice of his profession he rose rapidly and distin- 
guished himself by his energy and accuteness as a 
lawyer. But the times called for greater action. 
The policy of England had awakened the spirit of 
resistance of the American Colonies, and the enlarged 
views which Jefferson had ever entertained, soon led 
him into active political life. In 1769 he was chosen 
a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. In 
1772 he married Mrs. Martha Skelton, a very beauti- 
ful, wealthy and highly accomplished young widow. 

Upon Mr. Jefferson's large estate at Shad well, there 
was a majestic swell of land, called Monticello, which 
commanded a prospect of wonderful extent and 
beauty. This spot Mr. Jefferson selected for his new 
liome; and here he reared a mansion of modest yet 
elegant architecture, which, next to Mount Vernon, 
became the most distinguished resort in our land. 

In 1775 he was sent to the Colonial Congress, 
where, though a silent member, his abilities as a 
writer and a reasoner soon become known, and he 
was placed ujxjn a number of important committees, 
and was chaimian of the one appointed for the draw- 
ing up of a declaration of independence. This com- 
mittee consisted of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, 
Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman and Robert R. 
Livingston. Jefferson, as chairman, was apix)inted 
to draw up the paper. Franklin and Adams suggested 
a few verbal changes before it was submitted to Con- 
gress. On June 28, a few slight changes were made 
in it by Congress, and it was passed and signed July 
4, 1776. What must have been the feelings of that 




'nTiinTiLiBiuiiiirzn^ 




■SR ixs-jrji at 




28 



THOMAS JEFFERSON. 









\ 
I 
\ 



man — what the emotions that swelled his breast — 
who was charged with the preparation of that Dec- 
laration, which, while it made known the wrongs of 
America, was also to publish her to the world, free, 
soverign and independent. It is one of the most re- 
markable papers ever written ; and did no other effort 
of the mind of its author exist, that alone would be 
sufficient to stamp his name with immortality. 

In 1779 Mr. Jefferson was elected successor to 
Patrick Henry, as Governor of Virginia. At one time 
the British officer, Tarleton, sent a secret expedition to 
Monticello, to capture the Governor. Scarcely five 
minutes elapsed after the hurried escape of Mr. Jef- 
ferson and his family, ere his mansion was in posses- 
sion of the British troops. His wife's health, never 

fe^' very good, was much injured by this excitement, and 
in the summer of 1782 she died. 

Mr. Jefferson was elected to Congress in 1783. 
Two years later he was apix)inted Minister Plenipo- 
tentiary to France. Returning to the United States 
in September, 1789, he became Secretary of State 
in Washington's cabinet. This position he resigned 
Jan. r, 1794. In 1797, he was chosen Vice Presi- 
dent, and four years later was elected President over 

hi [jl Mr. Adams, with Aaron Burr as Vice President. In 

\ g 1804 he was re-elected with wonderful unanimity, 

jp^' and George Clinton, Vice President. 

The early part of Mr. Jefferson's second adminstra- 
tion was disturbed by an event which threatened the 

f tranquility and peace of the Union; this was the con- 
jij spiracy of Aaron Burr. Defeated in the late election 
^ W- to the Vice Presidency, and led on by an unprincipled 
ambition, this extraordinary man formed the plan of a 
military expedition into the Spanish territories on our 
southwestern frontier, for the purpose of forming there 
a new republic. This has been generally supposed 
was a mere pretext ; and although it has not been 
generally known what his real plans were, there is no 
\ doubt that they were of a far more dangerous 
-ly^ character. 

In 1809, at the expiration of the second term for 
which Mr. Jefferson had been elected, he determined 
to retire from political life. For a period of nearly 
forty years, he had been continually before the pub- 
lic, and all that time had been employed in offices of 
the greatest trust and resjMnsibility. Having thus de- 
voted the best part of his life to the service of his 
country, he now felt desirous of that rest which his 
declining years required, and upon the organization of 
the new administration, in March, 1809, he bid fare- 
well forever to public life, and retired to Monticello. 

Mr. Jefferson was profuse in his hospitality. Whole 

families came in their coaches with their horses, — 

fathers and mothers, boys and girls, babies and 

j nurses, — and remained three and even six months. 

Life at Monticello, for years, resembled that at a 

fashionable watering-place. 

}|OK The fourth of July, 1826, being the fiftieth anniver- 

B 



il 



1! 
1 
i , 



I 

3:1 

S:t 

: h 
: n 
: n 

:A 

h 



^ II 

sary of the Declaration of American Independence, : \ 
great preparations were made in every part of the \ 
Union for its celebration, as the nation's jubilee, and \, 
the citizens of Washington, to add to the solemnity J" 
of the occasion, invited Mr. Jefferson, as the framer, ;- 
and one of the few surviving signers of the Declara- ; 
tion, to participate in their festivities. But an ill- : 1 
ness, which had been of several weeks duration, and \y\^ 
had been continually increasing, compelled him to 
decline the invitation. 

On the second of July, the disease under which 3^11 
he was laboring left him, but in such a reduced 
state that his medical attendants, entertained no 
hope of his recover)'. From this time he was perfectly 
sensible that his last hour was at hand. On the next 
day, which was Monday, he asked of those around 
him, the day of the month, and on being told it was 
the third of July, he expressed the earnest wish that 
he might be permitted to breathe the air of the fiftieth 
anniversary'. His prayer was heard — that day, whose 
dawn was hailed with such rapture through our land, a- J 
burst upon his eyes, and then they were closed for- 
ever. And what a noble consummation of a noble 
life ! To die on that day, — the birthday of a nation, — 
the day which his own name and his own act had 
rendered glorious; to die amidst the rejoicings and 
festivities of a whole nation, who looked up to him, 
as the author, under God, of their greatest blessings, 
was all that was wanting to fill up the record his life. 

Almost at the same hour of his death, the kin- 
dred spirit of the venerable Adams, as if to bear 
him company, left the scene of his earthly honors. 
Hand in hand they had stood forth, the champions of |; 
freedom ; hand in hand, during the dark and desper- 
ate struggle of the Revolution, they had cheered and 
animated their desponding countrymen; for half a £ 
century they had labored together for the good of ? 
the country; and now hand in hand they depart. | 
In their lives they had been united in the same great | 
cause of liberty, and in their deaths they were not ; 
divided. : 

In person Mr. Jefferson was tall and thin, rather 
above six feet in height, but well formed; his eyes 
were light, his hair originally red, in after life became 
white and silvery; his complexion was fair, his fore- 
head "broad, and his whole countenance intelligent and 
thoughtful. He jxjssessed great fortitude of mind as 
well as personal courage ; and his command of tem- 
per was such that his oldest and most intimate friends 
never recollected to have seen him in a passion. 
His manners, though dignified, were simple and un- 
affected, and his hospitality was so unbounded that |'; 
all found at his house a ready welcome. In conver- 
sation he was fluent, eloquent and enthusiastic ; and 
his language was remarkably pure and correct. He 
was a finished classical scholar, and in his writings!'; 
discernable the care with which he formed his style 
upon the best models of antiquity. 



3^ 



8; I 



fit 



ail 



f3 ja j - ai- i 



JXIilCI-JII 





M 



'a^.c_^-^ j!^(U (^^c^c'f o^^ 



'tiHeeea' 



tSSSeij 




FOURTH PRESIDENT. 










PEQES n]^DISOI|.«^ 




AMES MADISON, "Father 
of the Constitution," and fourth 
President of the United States, 
was born March i6, 1757, and 
•4) died at his home in Virginia, 
''^ June 28, 1836. The name of 
James Madison is inseparably con- 
nected with most of the important 
events in that heroic period of our 
*^ country during which the founda- 
tions of this great republic were 
laid. He was the last of the founders 
of the Constitution of the United 
States to be called to his eternal 
reward. 

The Madison family were among 
the early emigrants to the New World, 
landing upon the shores of the Chesa- 
])eake but 15 years after the settle- 
ment of Jamestown. The father of 
James Madison was an opulent 
planter, residing upon a very fine es- 
tate called "Montpelier," Orange Co., 
Va. The mansion was situated in 
the midst of scenery highly pictur- 
esque and romantic, on the west side 
of South-west Mountain, at the foot of 
It was but 25 miles from the home of 
Jefferson at Monticello. The closest personal and 
political attachment existed between these illustrious 
men, from their early youth until death. 

The early education of Mr. Madison was conducted 
mostly at home under a private tutor. At the age of 
18 he was sent to Princeton College, in New Jersey. 
Here he applied himself to study with the most im- 



prudent zeal; allowing himself, for months, but three 
hours' sleep out of the 24. His health thus became so 
seriously impaired that he never recovered any vigor 
of constitution. He graduated in 177 i, with a feeble 
body, with a character of utmost purity, and with a 
mind highly disciplined and richly stored with learning 
which embellished and gave proficiency to his subsf 
quent career. 

Returning to Virginia, he commenced the study of 
law and a course of extensive and systematic reading. 
This educational course, the spirit of tlie times in 
which he lived, and the society with which he asso- 
ciated, all combined to inspire him with a strong 
love of liberty, and to train him for his life-work of 
a statesman. Being naturally of a religious turn of 
mind, and his frail health leading him to think that 
his life was not to be long, he directed especial atten- 
tion to theological studies. Endowed wth a mind 
singularly free from passion and prejudice, and with 
almost unequalled powers of reasoning, he weighed 
all the arguments for and against revealed religion, 
until his faith became so established as never to 
be shaken. 

In the spring of 1776, when 26 years of age, he 
was elected a member of the Virginia Convention, to 
frame the constitution of the State. The next year 
(1777), he was a candidate for the General Assembly. 
He refused to treat the whisky-loving voters, and 
consequently lost his election ; but those who had 
witnessed the talent, energy and public spirit of the 
modest young man, enlisted themselves in his behalf, 
and he was appointed to the Executive Council.' 

Both Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson were 
Governors of Virginia while Mr. Madison remained 
member of the Council ; and their appreciation of his 




PI 



^j 






I t 



wm 






ilferal 



^Jill 



PU 



I! 
i 
[! 



m 



uVl I Yn Kx£i ] 



°n 





irrrrnrrijrix sL^^ " 



32 



JAMES MADISON. 



m 



If 






P 



1'' 



ri 



intellectual, social and moral worth, contributed not 
a little to his subsequent eminence. In the year 
1780, he was elected a member of the Continental 
Congress. Here he met the most illustrious men in 
our land, and he was immediately assigned to one of 
the most conspicuous positions among them. 

For three years Mr. Madison continued in Con- 
gress, one of its most active and influential members. 
In the year 1784, his term having expired, he was 
elected a member of the Virginia Legislature. 

No man felt more deeply than Mr. Madison the 
utter inefficiency of the old confederacy, with no na- 
tional government, with no power to form treaties 
which would be binding, or to enforce law. There 
was not any State more prominent than Virginia in 
the declaration, that an efficient national government 
must be formed. In January, 1786, Mr. Madison 
carried a resolution through the General Assembly of 
Virginia, inviting the other States to apjx)int commis- 
sioners to meet in convention at Annapolis to discuss 
this subject. Five States only were represented. The 
convention, however, issued another call, drawn up 
by Mr. Madison, urging all the States to send their 
delegates to Philadelphia, in May, 1787, to draft 
a Constitution for the United States, to take the place 
of that Confederate League. The delegates met at 
the tiiiie appointed. Every State but Rhode Island 
was represented. George Washington was chosen 
president of the convention ; and the present Consti- 
tution of the United States was then and there formed. 
There was, perhaps, no mind and no pen more ac- 
tive in framing this immortal document than the mind 
and the pen of James Madison. 

The Constitution, adopted by a vote 81 to 79, was 
to be presented to the several States for acceptance. 
But grave solicitude was felt. Should it be rejected 
we should be left bat a conglomeration of independent 
States, with but little power at home and little respect 
abroad. Mr. Madison was selected by the conven- 
tion to draw up an address to the people of the United 
States, expounding the principles of the Constitution, 
and urging its adoption. There was great opposition 
to it at first, but it at length triumphed over all, and 
went into effect in 1789. 

Mr. Madison was elected to the House of Repre- 
sentatives in the first Congress, and soon became the 
avowed leader of the Republican party. While in 
New York attending Congress, he met Mrs. Todd, a 
young widow of remarkable power of fascination, 
whom he married. She was in person and character 
queenly, and probably no lady has thus far occupied 
so prominent a position in the very peculiar society 
which has constituted our republican court as Mrs. 
Madison. 

Mr. Madison served as Secretary of State under 
Jefferson, and at the close of his administration 
was chosen President. At this time the encroach- 
ments of England had brought us to the verge of war. 



5' ri. 

E:fc 
1. 
I 
I 
I 
I 
I 



I 
I 

s 

\ 

\ 

^\ 

\ 



British orders in council destroyed our commerce, and 3 
our flag was exposed to constant insult. Mr. Madison 3 |; 
was a man of peace. Scholarly in his taste, retiring \ 
in his disposition, war had no charms for him. But the : 
meekest spirit can be roused. It makes one's blood S; 
boil, even now, to think of an American ship brought 3 
to, upon the ocean, by the guns of an English cruiser. 3 
A young lieutenant steps on board and orders the a! 
crew to be paraded before him. With great nonchal- s 
ance he selects any number whom he may please to t 
designate as British subjects ; orders them down the ;; 
ship's side into his boat ; and places them on the gun- j; 
deck of his man-of-war, to fight, by compulsion, the" 
battles of England. This right of search and im- 
pressment, no efforts of our Government could induce ;.; 
the British cabinet to relinquish. :";} 

On the 1 8th of June, 1812, President Madison gave S^: 
his approval to an act of Congress declaring war s; 
against Great Britain. Notwithstanding the bitter 3|; 
hostility of the Federal party to the war, the country |-: 
in general approved; and Mr. Madison, on the 4th t;} 
of March, 1813, was re-elected by a large majority, E^^i 
and entered upon his second term of office. This is 
not the place to describe the various adventures of 
this war on the land and on the water. Our infant 
navy then laid the foundations of its renown in grap- 
pling with the most formidable power which ever 
swept the seas. The contest commenced in earnest 
by the appearance of a British fleet, early in February, %, 
1813, in Chesapeake Bay, declaring nearly the whole 3;^ 
coast of the United States under blockade. v; 

The Emperor of Russia offered his services as me ; | 
ditator. America accepted ; England refused. A Brit- 2-: 
ish force of five thousand men landed on the banks Si 
of the Patuxet River, near its entrance into Chesa- j' 
peake Bay, and marched ra;.'idly, by way of Bladens- 5 
burg, upon Washington. | 

The straggling little city of Washington was thrown | 
into consternation. The cannon of the brief conflict | 
at Bladensburg echoed through the streets of the I 
metropolis. The whole population fled from the city. | 
The President, leaving Mrs. Madison in the Wliite g 
House, with her carriage drawn up at the door to 
await his speedy return, hurried to meet the officers 
in a council of war. He met our troops utterly routed, 
and he could not go back without danger of being 
captured. But few hours elapsed ere the Presidential 
Mansion, the Capitol, and all the public buildings in 
Washington were in flames. 

The war closed after two years of fighting, and on 
Feb. 13, i8i5,the treaty of peace was signed at Ghent. 

On the 4th of March, 1817, his second term of 
office expired, and he resigned the Presidential chair 
to his friend, James Monroe. He retired to his beau- 
tiful home at Montpelier, and there passed the re- 
mainder of his days. On June 28, 1836, then at the 
age of 85 years, he fell asleep in death. Mrs. Madi- 
son died July 12, 1849. 



a-n 




II 









AMES MONROE, the fifth 
Presidentof The United States, 
was born in Westmoreland Co., 
Va., April 28, 1758. His early 
life was passed at the place of 
nativity. His ancestors had for 
many years resided in the prov- 
ince in which he was born. When, 
at 17 years of age, in the process 
of completing his education at 
William and Mary College, the Co- 
lonial Congress assembled at Phila- 
delphia to deliberate upon the un- 
just and manifold oppressions of 
Great Britian, declared the separa- 
tion of the Colonies, and promul- 
gated the Declaration of Indepen- 
dence. Had he been born ten years before it is highly 
probable that he would have been one of the signers 
of that celebrated instrument. At this time he left 
i;j school and enlisted among the patriots. 
% He joined the army when everything looked hope- 
5S less and gloomy. The number of deserters increased 
^ from day to day. The invading armies came pouring 
S in ; and the tories not only favored the cause of the 
{ag mother country, but disheartened the new recruits, 
!^ who were sufficiently terrified at the prospect of con- 
\ tending with an enemy whom they had been taught 
to deem invincible. To such brave spirits as James 
Monroe, who went right onward, undismayed through 
\ difficulty and danger, the United States owe their 
C political emancipation. The young cadet joined the 
\\ ranks, and espoused the cause of his injured countr}', 
I : : with a firm determination to live or die with her strife 

"j-i-ij utiximjjcop cixij: 






for liberty. Firmly yet sadly he shared in the mel- 
ancholy retreat from Hadeam Heights and White 
Plains, and accompanied the dispirited army as it fled 
before its foes through New Jersey. In four months 
after the Declaration of Independence, the patriots 
had been beaten in seven battles. At the battle of 
Trenton he led the vanguard, and, in the act of charg- 
ing upon the enemy he received a wound in the left 
shoulder. 

As a reward for his bravery, Mr. Monroe was pro- 
moted a captain of infantry; and, having recovered 
from his wound, he rejoined the army. He, however, 
receded from the line of promotion, by becoming an 
officer in the staff of Lord Sterling. During the cam- 
paigns of 1777 and 1778, in the actions of Brandy- 
wine, Germantown and Monmouth, he continued 
aid-de-camp; but becoming desirous to regain his 
position in the army, he exerted himself to collect a 
regiment for the Virginia line. This scheme failed 
owing to the exhausted condition of the State. Upon 
this failure he entered the office of Mr. Jefferson, at 
that period Governor, and pursued, with considerable 
ardor, the study of common law. He did not, however, 
entirely lay aside the knapsack for the green bag; 
but on the invasions of the enemy, served as a volun- 
teer, during the two years of his legal pursuits. 

In 1782, he was elected from King George county, 
a member of the Leglislature of Virginia, and by that 
body he was elevated to a seat in the Executive 
Council. He was thus honored with the confidence 
of his fellow citizens at 23 years of age ; and having 
at this early period displayed some of that ability 
and aptitude for legislation, which were afterwards 
employed with unremitting energy for the public good, 



i 



m 



.11 



m 



Hi 

m 



m 



I 



""w 




Hi 



HLLS.TXLH.JTM 



iiim r)ti iH DtTmT'"T^ ^'T^ : 



^ y 




ton 



tiiititiiiiiiiiizTXinii t 



TTmrui ixxTxi xxi; - 



36 



JAMES MOJVROE. 



he was in the succeeding year chosen a member of 
the Congress of the United States. 

Deeply as Mr. Monroe felt the imperfections of the old 
^Confederacy, he was opposed to the new Constitution, 
thinking, with many others of the Republican party, 
that it gave too much power to the Central Government, 
and not enough to the individual States. Still he re- 
tained the esteem of his friends who were its warm 
supporters, and who, notwithstanding his opposition 
secured its adoption. In 1789, he became a member 
of the United States Senate ; which office he held for 
four years. Every month the line of distinction be- 
tween the two great parties which divided the nation, 
the Federal and the Republican, was growing more 
distinct. The two prominent ideas which now sep- 
arated them were, that the Republican party was in 
sympathy with France, and also in favor of such a 
strict construction of the Constitution as to give the 
Central Government as little power, and the State 
Governments as much power, as the Constitution would 
warrant. The Federalists sympathized with England, 
and were in favor of a liberal construction of the Con- 
stitution, which would give as much power to the 
Central Government as that document could possibly 
authorize. 

The leading Federalists and Republicans were 
alike noble men, consecrating all their energies to the 
good of the nation. Two more honest men or more 
pure patriots than John Adams the Federalist, and 
James Monroe the Republican, never breathed. In 
building up this majestic nation, which is destined 
to eclipse all Grecian and Assyrian greatness, the com- 
bination of their antagonism was needed to create the 
light equilibrium. And yet each in his day was de- 
nounced as almost a demon. 

Washington was then President. England had es- 
poused the cause of the Bourbons against the princi- 
ples of the French Revolution. All Europe was drawn 
into the conflict. We were feeble and far away. 
Washington issued a proclamation of neutrality be- 
tween these contending powers. France had helped 
us in the struggle for our liberties. All the despotisms 
of Europe were now comliined to prevent the French 
from escaping from a tyranny a thousand-fold worse 
than that which we had endured. Col. Monroe, more 
magnanimous than prudent, was anxious that, at 
whatever hazard, v.'e should help our old allies in 
their extremity. It was the impulse of a generous 
and noble nature. He violently opposed the Pres- 
ident's proclamation as ungrateful and wanting in 
magnanimity. 

Washington, who could appreciate such a character, 
developed his calm, serene, almost divine greatness, 
by appointing that very James Monroe, who was de- 
nouncing the policy of the Government, as the minister 
of that Government to the Republic of France. Mr. 
Monroe was welcomed by the National Convention 
in France with the most enthusiastic demonstrations. 



'-■-^ 



Shortly after his return to this country, Mr. Mon-: 
roe was elected Governor of Virginia, and held the : \. 
office for three years. He was again sent to France to : 
co-operate with Chancellor Livingston in obtaining S 
the vast territory then known as the Province ofj 
Louisiana, which France had but shortly before ob- : 
tained from Spain. Their united efforts were sue-; 
cessful. For the comparatively small sum of fifteen ; \ 
millions of dollars, the entire territory of Orleans and 
district of Louisiana were added to the United States. -. \ 
This was probably the largest transfer of real estate: J 
which was ever made in all the history of the world - i 

From France Mr. Monroe went to England to ob-; ''^ 
tain from that country some recognition of our: 
rights as neutrals, and to remonstrate against those : 
odious impressments of our seamen. But Eng- 2 
land was unrelenting. He again returned to Eng-; 
land on the same mission, but could receive no ; 
redress. He returned to his home and was again : 
chosen Governor of Virginia. This he soon resigned ; 
to accept the position of Secretary of State under j \ 
Madison. While in this office war with England was ; 
declared, the Secretary of War resigned, and during ; 
these trying times, the duties of the War Department '-\ 
were also put uix)n him. He was truly the armor- 
bearer of President Madison, and the most efiicient 
business man in his cabinet. LTpon the return o( 
peace he resigned the Department of War, but con- 
tinued in the office of Secretary of State until the ex- 
piration of Mr. Madison's adminstration. At the elec- 
tion held the previous autumn Mr. Monroe himself had 
been chosen President with but little opposition, and 
upon March 4, 1817, was inaugurated. Four years 
later he was elected for a second term. 

Among the important measures of his Presidency ;; 
were the cession of Florida to the United States; the ; 
Missouri Compromise, and the "Monroe doctrine.'' Sfii 

This famous doctrine, since known as the " Monroe % 
doctrine," was enunciated by him in 1823. At that 5 
time the United States had recognized the independ- J! 
ence of the South American states, and did not wish ■' 
to have European powers longer attempting to sub- : 
due portions of the American Continent. The doctrine : 
is as follows : " That we should consider any attempt 3 
on the part of European powers to extend their sys- 5 
tem to any portion of this hemisphere as dangerous : 
to our peace and safety," and "that we could not : 
view any interposition for the purjwse of oppressing 3: 
or controlling American governments or provinces in 3- 
any other light than as a manifestation by European q 
powers of an unfriendly disposition toward the United : 
States." This doctrine immediately affected the course = 
of foreign governments, and has become the approved J;^ 
sentiment of the United States. "''^ 

At the end of his second term Mr. Monroe retired 
to his home in Virginia, where he lived until 1830, 
wiien he went to New 'S'ork to live with his son-in- 
law. In that city he died, on the 4th of July, 1831, 



3';i 



e rgs' JTr'^ ; 



■1 

I, 

I 

V 

I 
I 
1 

I 
I 
I 
I 
1 
t 
I 
1 
I 
t 



ten 



' l-tllllilU tllTTl , 



^ 






^ 



■'%^ 




J , ^ , {Jn: I urwJ^ 



^>^f..,,.^.. 






SIXTH PRESIDENT. 




« 



ll 



Mlii 



i 



\\ 
I 'I 
re 

\\ 
\ X. 

u: 
i;: 

i-c 
i-''t: 
i:-: 
1 : 

I ; 

I i 

\^ 

\ : 

r : 
u : 
U:: 

I.: 







#$::s*^;;&#$;:&**;;.5r^^$"s*^;K#i.;;s^^te**;K^*^T$*-SK$*-s&#sis<!^i&^ 



301}^ QUI1^6Y ^^D^ITQS. 



OHN QUINCY ADAMS, the 
sixth President of the United 
^States, was born in the rural 
home of his honored father, 
John Adams, in Qaincy, Mass., 
on the I ith of July, 1767. His 
mother, a woman of exaUed 
worth, watched over his childhood 
during the almost constant ab- 
sence of his father. When but 
eight years of age, he stood with 
his mother on an eminence, listen- 
ing to the booming of the great bat- 
tle on Bunkers Hill, and gazing on 
uiwn the smoke and flames billow- 
ing up from the conflagration of 
Charlestown. 

^\'hen but eleven years old he 
took a tearful adieu of his mother, 
to sail with his father for Europe, 
through a fleet of hostile British cruisers. The bright, 
animated boy spent a year and a half in Paris, where 
his father was associated with Franklin and Lee as 
minister plenipotentiary. His intelligence attracted 
the notice of these distinguished men, and he received 
from them flattering marks of attention. 

Mr. John Adams had scarcely returned to this 
country, in 1779, ere he was again sent abroad. Again 
John Quincy accompanied his father. At Paris he 
applied himself with great diligence, for six months, 
to study; then accompained his father to Holland, 
where he entered, first a school in Amsterdam, then 
the University at Leyden. About a year from this 
time, in 1781, when the manly boy was but fourteen 
years of age, he was selected by Mr. Dana, our min- 
ister to the Russian court, as his private secretary. 

In this school of incessant labor and of enobling 
culture he spent fourteen months, and then returned 
to Holland through Sweden, Denmark, Hamburg and 
Bremen. This long journey he took alone, in the 
winter, when in his sixteenth year. Again he resumed 
his studies, under a private tutor, at Hague. Thence, 



J u uu nzx nzTU cu^ixu 



in the spring of 1782, he accompanied his father to 
Paris, traveling leisurely, and forming acquaintance 
with the most distinguished men on the Continent; 
examining architectural remains, galleries of paintings, 
and all renowned works of art. At Paris he again 
became associated with the most illustrious men of 
all lands in the contemplations of the loftiest temporal 
themes which can engross the human mind. After 
a short visit to England he returned to Paris, and 
consecrated all his energies to study until May, 1785, 
when he returned to America. To a brilliant young 
man of eighteen, who had seen much of the world, 
and who was familiar with the etiquette of courts, a 
residence with his father in London, under such cir- 
cumstances, must have been extremely attractive ; 
but with judgment very rare in one of his age, he pre- 
ferred to return to America to complete his education 
in an .-Xmerican college. He wished then to study 
law, that with an honorable profession, he might be 
able to obtain an independent support. 

Upon leaving Harvard College, at the age of twenty, 
he studied law for three years. In June, 1794, be- 
ing then but twenty-seven years of age, he was ap- 
pointed by Washington, resident minister at the 
Netherlands. Sailing from Boston in July, he reached 
London in October, where he was immediately admit- 
ted to the deliberations of Messrs. Jay and Pinckney, 
assisting them in negotiating a commercial treaty with 
(ireat Britian. After thus spending a fortnight in 
London, he proceeded to the Hague. 

In July, 1797, he left the Hague to go to Portugal as 
minister plenipotentiary. On his way to Portugal, 
upon arriving in London, he met with despatches 
directing him to the court of Berlin, but requesting 
him to remain in London until he should receive his 
instructions. While waiting he was married to an 
American lady to whom he had been previously en- 
gaged, — Miss Louisa Catherine Johnson, daughter 
of Mr. Joshua Johnson, American consul in London; 
a lady endownd with that beaiity and those accom- 
plishment which eminently fitted her to move in the 
elevated sphere for which she was destined. 



W'% 




• 1 xtm-^ 




Kirn 



tryTt^y 1 tfTyt ^rirT»Tini-Tti| : 



mrrrnnTiiTnrrri'rrt' iiijTt ric 



Iff 



JOHN QUINCY ADAMS. 






Its 



He reached Berlin with his wife in November, 1797 ; 
where he remained until July, 1799, when, havingful- 
fiUed all the purposes of his mission, he solicited his 
recall. 

Soon after his return, in 1802, he was chosen to 
the Senate of Massachusetts, from Boston, and then 
was elected Senator of the United States for six years, 
from the 4th of March, 1804. His reputation, his 
ability and his experience, placed him immediately 
among the most prominent and influential members 
of that body. Especially did he sustain the Govern- 
ment in its measures of resistance to the encroach- 
ments of England, destroying our commerce and in- 
sulting our flag. There was no man in America more 
familiar with the arrogance of the British court upon 
these points, and no one more resolved to present 
a firm resistance. 

In 1809, Madison succeeded Jefferson in the Pres- 
idential chair, and he immediately nominated John 
Quincy Adams minister to St. Petersburg. Resign- 
ing his professorship in Harvard College, he embarked 
at Boston, in August, 1809. 

While in Russia, Mr. Adams was an intense stu- 
dent. He devoted his attention to the language and 
history of Russia; to the Chinese trade; to the 
European system of weights, measures, and coins ; to 
the climate and astronomical observations ; while he 
kept up a familiar acquaintance with the Greek and 
Latin classics. In all the universities of Europe, a 
more accomplished scholar could scarcely be found. 
All through life the Bible constituted an important 
part of his studies. It was his rule to read five 
chapters every day. 

On the 4th of March, 1817, Mr. Monroe took the 
Presidential chair, and immediately appointed Mr. 
Adams Secretary of State. Taking leave of his num- 
erous friends in public and private life in Europe, he 
sailed in June, 18 19, for the United States. On the 
i8th of August, he again crossed the threshold of his 
home in Quincy. During the eight years of Mr. Mon- 
roe's administration, Mr. Adams continued Secretary 
of State. 

Some time before the close of Mr. Monroe's second 
term of office, new candidates began to be presented 
for the Presidency. The friends of Mr. Adams brought 
forward his name. It was an exciting campaign. 
Party spirit was never more bitter. Two hundred and 
sixty electoral votes were cast. Andrew Jackson re- 
ceived ninety-nine; John Quincy Adams, eighty-four; 
William H. Crawford, forty-one; Henry Clay, thirty- 
seven. As there was no choice by the people, the 
question went to the House of Representatives. Mr. 
Clay gave the vote of Kentucky to Mr. Adams, and 
he was elected. 

The friends of all the disappointed candidates now 
combined in a venomous and persistent assault upon 
Mr. Adams. There is nothing more disgraceful in 
the past history of our country than the abuse which 



was poured in one uninterrupted stream, upon this 
high-minded, upright, patriotic man. There never was 
an administration more pure in principles, more con- 
scientiously devoted to the best interests of the coun- 
try, than that of John Quincy Adams; and never, per- 
haps, was there an administration more unscrupu- 
lously and outrageously assailed. 

Mr. Adams was, to a very remarkable degree, ab- 
stemious and temperate in his habits; always rising 
early, and taking much exercise. When at his home in 
Quincy, he has been known to walk, before breakfast, 
seven miles to Boston. In Washington, it was said 
that he was the first man up in the city, lighting his 
own fire and applying himself to work in his library 
often long before dawn. 

On the 4th of March, r829, Mr. Adams retired 
from the Presidency, and was succeeded by Andrew- 
Jackson. John C. Calhoun was elected Vice Presi- 
dent. The slavery question now began to assume 
portentous magnitude. Mr. Adams returned to 
Quincy and to his studies, which he pursued with un- 
abated zeal. But he was not long permitted to re- 
mai'n in retirement. In November, 1830, he was 
elected representative to Congress. For seventeen 
years, until his death, he occupied the post as repre- 
sentative, towering above all his peers, ever ready to 
do brave battle' for freedom, and winning the title of 
"the old man eloquent." Upon taking his seat in 
the House, he announced that he should hold him- 
self bound to no party. Probably there never was a 
member more devoted to his duties. He was usually 
the first in his place in the morning, and the last to 
leave his seat in the evening. Not a measure could 
be brought forward and escape his scrutiny. The 
battle which Mr. Adams fought, almost singly, against 
the proslavery party in the Government, was sublime 
in Its moral daring and heroism. For persisting in 
presenting petitions for the abolition of slavery, he 
was threatened with indictment by the grand jury, 
with expulsion from the House, with assassination ; 
but no threats could intimidate him, and his final 
triumph was complete. 

It has been said of President Adams, that when his 
body was bent and his hair silvered by the lapse of 
fourscore years, yielding to the simple faith of a little 
child, he was accustomed to repeat every night, before 
he slept, the pra}er which his mother tauglit him in 
his infant years. 

On the 2ist of February, 1848, he rose on the floor 
of Congress, with a paper in his hand, to address the 
speaker. Suddenly he fell, again stricken by paraly- 
sis, and was caught in the arms of those around him. 
For a time he was senseless, as he was conveyed to 
the sofa in the rotunda. With reviving conscious- 
ness, he opened his eyes, looked calmly around and 
said " This is the endofeaith ;"then after a moment's 
pause he added, " I am content." These were the 
last words of the grand "Old Man Eloquent." 

JIjnirTTjm:tK[ iLiJLUjJL-t 
frtbi in rx^^ 



J; I 
:;i 

;.hj 

: K 

- ;ij 

= 1 
it 

S-;t 
3i:t 

"■ h 



3HV 






9~\ 



3:1 

11 

fit I 



Iiiiri Titi it i i K iiTtJi irn T ri 





(^y-rr-LO^r^ 



rVHr'r"i-'i 








y4.:(p^^f jsr. 






' y»Vis=i-e>>»^i|^ J ,, 



-ij)Sl'^' 




NDREW JACKSON, the 
seventh President of the 
United States, was born in 
Waxhaw settlement, N. C, 
March 15, 1767, a few days 
after his father's death. His 
parents were poor emigrants 
from Ireland, and took up 
their abode in Waxhaw set- 
tlement, where they lived in 
deepest poverty. 
Andrew, or Andy, as he was 
universally called, grew up a very 
rough, rude, turbulent boy. His 
features were coarse, his form un- 
gainly; and there was but very 
little in his character, made visible, which was at- 
tractive. 

When only thirteen years old he joined the volun- 
teers of Carolina against the British invasion. In 
1781, he and his brother Robert were captured and 
imprisoned for a time at Camden. A British officer 
ordered him to brush his mud-spattered boots. " I am 
a prisoner of war, not your servant," was the reply of 
the dauntless boy. 

The brute drew his sword, and aimed a desperate 
blow at the head of the helpless young prisoner. 
.\ndrew raised his hand, and thus received two fear- 
ful gashes, — one on the hand and the other upon the 
head. The officer then turned to his brother Robert 
with the same demand. He also refused, and re- 
ceived a blow from the keen-edged sabre, which quite 
diiabled him, and which probably soon after caused 
his death. They suffered much other ill-treatment, and 
were finally stricken with the small-pox. Their 
mother was successful in obtaining their exchange, 




and took her sick boys home. After a long illness 
Andrew recovered, and the death of his mother soon 
left him entirely friendless. 

Andrew supported himself in various ways, such as 
working at the saddler's trade, teaching school and 
clerking in a general store, until 1784, when he 
entered a law office at Salisbury, N. C. He, however, 
gave more attention to the wild amusements of the 
times than to his studies. In 1788, he was appointed 
solicitor for the western district of North Carolina, of 
which Tennessee was then a part. This involved 
many long and tedious journeys amid dangers of 
every kind, but Andrew Jackson never knew fear, 
and the Indians had no desire to repeat a skirmish 
with the Sharp Knife. 

In 1791, Mr. Jackson was married to a woman who 
supposed herself divorced from her former husband. 
Great was the surprise of both parties, two years later, 
to find that the conditions of the divorce had just been 
definitely settled by the first husband. The marriage 
ceremony was performed a second time, but the occur- 
rence was often used by his enemies to bring Mr. 
Jackson into disfavor. 

During these years he worked hard at his profes- 
sion, and frequently had one or more duels on hand, 
one of which, when he killed Dickenson, was espec- 
ially disgraceful. 

In January, 1796, the Territor}' of Tennessee then 
containing nearly eighty thousand inhabitants, the 
people met in convention at Knoxville to frame a con- 
stitution. Five were sent from each of the eleven 
counties. Andrew Jackson was one of the delegates. 
The new State was entitled to but one member in 
the National House of Representatives. Andrew Jack- 
son was chosen that member. Mounting his horse he 
rode to Philedelphia, where Congress then held its 






PH 



li^^i 



lULUZXXXUi 



' •^lajp t 



IIJUIJ-TI, 



or-f^n -o- cr^^TJ M 



I i-ii i* kjl^TKPjr I T I T s I titxj I zi i IX i: 



li,..,,,,, 



44 



ANDREW JACKSON. 



h^ 



LiU 



ff^ 



sessions, — a distance of about eight hundred miles. 

Jackson was an earnest advocate of the Demo- 
cratic party. Jefferson was his idol. He admired 
Bonaparte, loved France and hated England. As Mr. 
Jackson took his seat, Gen. Washington, whose 
second term of office was then e.xpinng, delivered his 
last speech to Congress. A committee drew up a 
complimentary address in reply. Andrew Jackson 
did not approve of the address, and was one of the 
twelve who voted against it. He was not willing to 
say that Gen. Washington's adminstration had been 
" wise, firm and patriotic." 

Mr. Jackson was elected to the United States 
Senate in 1797, but soon resigned and returned home. 
Soon after he was chosen Judge of the Supreme Court 
of his State, which position he held for si.x years. 

When the war of 181 2 with Great Britian com- 
menced, Madison occupied the Presidential chair. 
Aaron Burr sent word to the President that there was 
an unknown man in the West, Andrew Jackson, who 
would do credit to a commission if one were con- 
ferred upon him. Just at that time Gen. Jackson 
offered his services and those of twenty-five hundred 
volunteers. His offer was accepted, and the troops 
were assembled at Nashville. 

As the British were hourly expected to make an at- 
tack upon New Orleans, where Gen. Wilkinson was 
in command, he was ordered to descend the river 
with fifteen hundred troops to aid Wilkinson. The 
expedition reached Natchez; and after a delay of sev- 
eral weeks there, without accomplishing anything, 
the men were ordered back to their homes. But the 
energy Gen. Jackson had displayed, and his entire 
devotion to the comrfort of his soldiers, won him 
golden opinions; and he became the most popular 
man in the State. It was in this expedition that his 
toughness gave him the nickname of " Old Hickory." 

Soon after this, while attempting to horsewhip Col. 
Thomas H. Benton, for a remark that gentleman 
made about his taking a part as second in a duel, in 
which a younger brother of Benton's was engaged, 
he received two severe pistol wounds. While he was 
lingering uix)n a bed of suffering news came that the 
Indians, who had combined under Tecumseh from 
Florida to the Lakes, to exterminate the white set- 
tlers, were committing the most awful ravages. De- 
cisive action became necessary. Gen. Jackson, with 
his fractured bone just beginning to heal, his arm in 
a sling, and unable to mount his horse without assis- 
tance, gave his amazing energies to the raising of an 
army to rendezvous at Fayettesville, Alabama. 

The Creek Indians had established a strong fort on 
one of the bends of the Tallapoosa River, near the cen- 
ter of Alabama, about fifty miles below Fort Strother. 
With an army of two thousand men. Gen. Jackson 
traversed the pathless wilderness in a march of eleven 
days. He reached their fort, called Tohopeka or 
Horse-shoe, on the 27th of March. 1814. The bend 



of the river enclosed nearly one hundred acres of 
tangled forest and wild ravine. Across the narrow 
neck the Indians had constructed a formidable breast- 
work of logs and brush. Here nine hundred warriors, 
with an ample suply of arms were assembled. 

The fort was stormed. The fight was utterly des- 
perate. Not an Indian would accept of quarter. When 
bleeding and dying, they would fight those who en- 
deavored to spare their lives. From ten in the morn- I 
ing until dark, the battle raged. The carnage was ; 
awful and revolting. Some threw themselves into the '■_, 
river; but the unerring bullet struck their heads as ^ 
they swam. Nearly everyone of the nine hundred war- ; 
rios were killed A few probably, in the night, swam " 
the river and escaped. This ended the war. The : 
jxjwer of the Creeks was broken forever. This bold ' 
plunge into the wilderness, with itsterriffic slaughter, ^ 
so appalled the savages, that the haggard remnants ; 
of the bands came to the camp, begging for peace. \ 

This closing of the Creek war enabled us to con- ' 
centrate all our militia upon the British, who were the :" 
allies of the Indians No man of less resolute will I 
than tien. Jackson could have conducted this Indian : 
campaign to so successful an issue Immediately he ; 
was appointed major-general. : 

Late in ,\ugust, with an army of two thousand : 
men, on a rushing march, Gen. Jackson came to ; 
Mobile. A British fleet came from Pensacola, landed : 
a force upon the beach, anchored near the little fort, ; 
and from both ship and shore commenced a furious ; 
assault. The battle was long and doubtful. .\t length 
one of the ships was blown up and the rest retired. - 

Garrisoning Mobile, where he had taken his little ■ 
army, he moved his troops to New Orleans, ■ 
And the battle of New Orleans which soon ensued, ; 
was in reality a very arduous campaign. This won ;- 
for Gen. Jackson an imperishable name. Here his ; 
troops, which numbered about four thousand men, : 
won a signal victory over the British army of about ; 
nine thousand. His loss was but thirteen, while the : 
loss of the British was two thousand six hundred. •; 

The name of Gen. Jackson soon began to be men- : 
tioned in connection with the Presidency, but, in 1824, ] 
he was defeated by Mr. Adams. He was, however, - 
successful in the election of 1828, and was re-elected ". 
for a second term in 1832. In 1829, just before he \ 
assumed the reins of the government, he met with ; 
the most terrible affliction of his life in the death of \ 
his wife, whom he had loved with a devotion which has : 
perhaps never been surpassed. From the shock of ;; 
her death he never recovered. : 

His administration was one of the most memorable : 
in the annals of our country; applauded by one party, ■• 
condemned by the other. No man had more bitter ■ 
enemies or warmer friends. At the expiration of his '- 
two terms of office he retired to the Hermitage, where ; 
he died June 8, 1845. The last years of ^Ir. Jack- : 
son's life were that of a devoted Christian man. 



hKO 




"7 7 2"^^ /-^^^^^ 



J^^-e-t^^ 




ARTIN VAN BUREN, the 
eighth President of the 
United States, was born at 
Kinderhook, N. Y., Dec. 5, 
1782. He died at the same 
,)lace, July 24, 1862. His 
l>ody rests in the cemetery 
at Kinderhook. Above it is 
a plain granite shaft fifteen feet 
high, bearing a simple inscription 
about half way up on one face. 
The lot is unfenced, unbordered 
or unbounded by shrub or flower. 

There is but little in the life of Martin Van Buren 
of romantic interest. He fought no battles, engaged 
in no wild adventures. Though his life was stormy in 
[xilitical and intellectual conflicts, and he gained many 
signal victories, his days passed uneventful in those 
incidents which give zest to biography. His an- 
cestors, as his name indicates, were of Dutch origin, 
and were among the earliest emigrants from Holland 
to the banks of the Hudson. His father was a farmer, 
residing in the old town of Kinderhook. His mother, 
also of Dutch lineage, was a woman of superior intel- 
ligence and exemplary piety. 

He was decidedly a precocious boy, developing un- 
usual activity, vigor and strength of mind. At the 
age of fourteen, he had finished his academic studies 
in his native village, and commenced the study of 
law. As he had not a collegiate education, seven 
years of study in a law-office were required of him 
before he could be admitted to the bar. Inspired with 
a lofty ambition, and conscious of his (xswers, he pur- 
sued his studies with indefatigable industry. After 
spending six years in an office in his native village. 



he went to the city of New York, and prosecuted his 
studies for the seventh year. 

In 1803, Mr. Van Buren, then twenty-one years of 
age, commenced the practice of law in his native vil- 
lage. The great conflict between the Federal and 
Republican party was then at its height. Mr. Van 
Buren was from the beginning a politician. He had, 
perhaps, imbibed that spirit while listening to the 
many discussions which had been carried on in his 
father's hotel. He was in cordial sympathy with 
Jefferson, and earnestly and eloquently espoused the 
cause of State Rights ; though at that time the Fed- 
eral party held the supremacy both in his town 
and State. 

His success and increasing ruputation led htm, 
after six years of practice, to remove to Hudson, the 
county seat of his county. Here he spent seven years, 
constantly gaining strength by contending in the 
courts with some of the ablest men who have adorned 
the bar of his State. 

Just before leaving Kinderhook for Hudson, Mr. 
Van Buren married a lady alike distinguished for 
beauty and accomplishments. After twelve short 
years she sank into the grave, the victim of consump- 
tion, leaving her husband and four sons to weep over 
her loss. For twenty-five years, Mr. Van Buren was 
ati earnest, successful, assiduous lawyer. The record 
of those years is barren in items of public interest. 
In t8i 2, when thirty years of age, he was chosen to 
the State Senate, and gave his strenuous support to 
Mr. Madison's adminstration. In 1815, he was ap- 
ix)inted Attorney-General, and the next year moved 
to Albany, the capital of the State. 

While he was acknowledged as one of the most 
prominent leaders of the Democratic party, he had 






pf. 



m 






mm 



jimmrTturiTHTii-rmrtijFJM-Ufc'^xtrmxmxTnrrittinimii ^aS^ " 



-3k.^-7s>ri-" 



■ir 



^.-i^ 




m 



KixTrVr-rrK 



48 



MARTIN VAN BUREN. 



the moral courage to avow that true democracy did 
not require that " universal sufifrage " which admits 
the vile, the degraded, the ignorant, to the right of 
governing the State. In true consistency with his 
democratic principles, he contended that, while the 
path leading to the privilege of voting should be open 
to every man without distinction, no one should be 
invested with that sacred prerogative, unless he were 
in some degree qualified for it by intelligence, virtue 
and some property interests in the welfare of the 
State. 

In 1 82 1 he was elected a member of the United 
States Senate; and in the same year, he took a seat 
in the convention to revise the constitution of his 
native State. His course in this convention secured 
the approval of men of all parties. No one could 
doubt the singleness of his endeavors to promote the 
interests of all classes in the community. In the 
Senate of the United States, he rose at once to a 
conspicuous position as anactive and useful legislator. 

In 1827, John Quincy Adams being then in the 
Presidential chair, Mr. Van Buren was re-elected to 
the Senate. He had been from the beginning a de- 
termined opposer of the Administration, adopting the 
"State Rights" view in opposition to what was 
deemed the Federal proclivities of Mr. Adams. 

Soon after this, in 1828, he was chosen Governorof 
the State of New York, and accordingly resigned his 
seat in the Senate. Probably no one in the United 
States contributed so much towards ejecting John Q. 
Adams from the Presidential chair, and placing in it 
Andrew Jackson, as did Martin Van Buren. Whether 
entitled to the reputation or not, he certainly was re- 
garded throughout the United States as one of the 
most skillful, sagacious and cunning of politicians. 
It was supixjsed that no one knew so well as he how 
to touch the secret spiings of action; how to pull all 
the wires to put his machinery in motion ; and how to 
organize a political army which would, secretly and 
stealthily accomplish the most gigantic results. By 
these powers it is said that he outv.'itted Mr. Adams, 
Mr. Clay, Mr. Webster, and secured results which 
few thought then could be accomplished. 

When Andrew Jackson was elected President he 
appointed Mr. Van Buren Secretary of State. This 
position he resigned in 1831, and was immediately 
appointed Minister to England, where he went the 
same autumn. The Senate, however, when it met, 
refused to ratify the nomination, and he returned 



home, apparently untroubled ; was nominated Vice 
President in the place of Calhoun, at the re-election 
of President Jackson ; and with smiles for all and 
frowns for none, he took his place at the head of that 
Senate which had refused to confirm his nomination 
as ambassador. 

His rejection by the Senate roused all the zeal of 
President Jackson in behalf of his repudiated favor- 
ite ; and this, probably more than any other cause, 
secured his elevation to the chair of the Chief Execu- 
tive. On the 20th of May, 1836, Mr. Van Buren re- 
ceived the Democratic nomination to succeed Gen. 
Jackson as President of the United States. He was 
elected by a handsome majority, to the delight of the 
retiring President. " Leaving New York out of the 
canvass," says Mr. Parton, "the election of Mr. Van 
Buren to the Presidency was as much the act of Gen. 
Jackson as though the Consritution had conferred 
upon him the power to appoint a successor." 

His administration was filled with exciting events. 
The insurrection in Canada, which threatened to in- 
volve this country in war with England, the agitation 
of the slavery question, and finally the great commer- 
cial panic which spread over the country, all were 
trials to his wisdom. The financial distress was at- 
tributed to the management of the Democratic party, 
and brought the President into such disfavor that he 
failed of re-election. 

With the exception of being nominated for the 
Presidency by the "Free Soil" Democrats, in 1848, 
Mr. Van Buren lived quietly upon his estate until 
his death. 

He had ever been a prudent man, of frugal habits, 
and living within his income, had now fortunately a 
competence for his declining years. His unblemished 
character, his commanding abilities, his unquestioned 
patriotism, and the distinguished positions which he 
had occupied in the government of our country, se- 
cured to him not only the homage of his party, but 
the respect ot the whole community. It was on the 
4th of March, 1841, that Mr. Van Buren retired from 
the presidency. From his fine estate at Lindenwald 
he still exerted a powerful influence upon the politics 
of the country. From this time until his death, on 
the 24th of July, 1862, at the age of eighty -ears, he 
resided at Lindenwald, a gentleman of leisure, of 
culture and of wealth; enjoying in a healthy old 
age, probably far more happiness than he had before 
experienced amid the stormy scenes of his active life. 












i| 






rk 



W 



"I 
I 

I 
I 
1 

I 
I 
i 
I 

I 
I 
I 



i 



\ 




■ ■ </ 



"A'j'j'r^'jir 



Ai-iir»TTTTTl .. 



JOJU EUUUXUXUXXUX f 






NINTH PRESIDENT. 



/^^S^^''''^'^^*^*''>^'''J^'^V*^''^'^*^>.l'>^\^V->^>,^>J-^S^S^SJt.^^ 














ILLIAM HENRY HARRI- 
SON, the ninth President of 
the United States, was born 
at Berkeley, Va., Feb. 9, 1773. 
His father, Benjamin Harri- 
son, was in comparatively op- 
•«« ijs-«=^;5j- ulent circumstances, and was 

i^ I I •:■ :' : one of the most distinguished 

men of his day. He was an 
intimate friend of George 
Washington, was early elected 
a member of the Continental 
Congress, and was conspicuous 
among the patriots of Virginia in 
resisting the encroachments of the 
British crown. In the celebrated 
Congress of 1775, Benjamin Har- 
rison and John Hancock were 
both candidates for the office of 
speaker. 

Mr Harrison was subsequently 
chosen Governor of Virginia, and 
was twice re-elected. His son, 
William Henry, of course enjoyed 
in childhood all the advantages which wealth and 
hjl intellectual and cultivated society could give. Hav- 
™ » ing received a thorough common-school education, he 
entered Hampden Sidney College, where he graduated 
witli honor soon after the death of his father. He 
then repaired to Philadel|)liia to study medicine under 
tlie instructions of Dr. Rush and the guardianship of 
Robert Morris, both of whom were, with his father, 
signers of the Declaration of Independence. 

Upon the outbreak of the Indian troubles, and not- 
withstanding the remonstrances of his friends, he 
abandoned his medical studies and entered the army, 
having obtained a commission of Ensign from Presi- 



dent Washington. He was then but 19 years old. ' Ij 
From that time he passed gradually upward in rank 
until he became aid to General Wayne, after whose 
death he resigned his commission. He was then ap- 
pointed Secretary of the North-western Territory. This 
Territory was then entitled to but one member in 
Congress and Capt. Harrison was chosen to fill that 
position. 

In the spring of 1800 the North-western Territory 1^^ 
was divided by Congress into two portions. The 
eastern portion, comprising the region now embraced 
in the State of Ohio, was called " 'I'lie Territory 
north-west of the Ohio." The western portion, which 
included what is now called Indiana, Illinois and 
Wisconsin, was called the "Indiana Territory." Wil- 
liam Henry Harrison, then 27 years of age, was ap- 
pointed by John Adams, Governor of the Indiana 
Territory, and immediately after, also Governor of 
Upper Louisiana. He was thus ruler over almost as 
extensive a realm as any sovereign upon the globe. He 
was Superintendent of Indian Affairs, and was in- 
vested with powers nearly dictatorial over the now 
rapidly increasing white population. The ability and 
fidelity with which he discharged these responsible 
duties may be inferred from the fact that he was four 
times appointed to this office — first by John .Adams, 
twice by Thomas Jefferson and afterwards by Presi- 
dent Madison. 

When he began his adminstration there were but 
three white settlements in that almost boundless region, 
now crowded with cities and resounding with all the 
tumult of wealth and traffic. Oneof these setdements 
was on the Ohio, nearly opposite Louisville; one at 
Vincennes, on the Wabash, and the third a French 
settlement. 

The vast wilderness over which Gov. Harrisoii. 
reigned was filled with many tribes of Indians. About 



TKnxnnmi 



n BJf T XXXX X X XTTlr ■ ■ ■ ■ »» TT IIJ t 



1 EzzxxTxxxzi: 



^■m^^'^i---'-: 



-fcti^ 



i^^^-^^~- L^,.-:: 



?a 




WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 



txirmxT*"* tuiiij t.u.xumr 



■ ' 'rt''*^'/^ :*-'-* 

©ogl JI 

^^gg^ .mimiiiixitixjiTi: 



(ilXTlTTlU 



t "•-'' 



::i 



iii 



ft 



the year 1806, two extraordinary mer., twin brothers, 
of the Shawnese tribe, rose among them. One of 
these was called Tecumseh, or " The Crouching 
Panther;" the other, Olliwacheca, or "The Prophet." 
Tecumseh was not only an Indian warrior, but a man 
of great sagacity, far-reaching foresight and indomit- 
able perseverance in any enterprise in which he might 
engage. He was inspired with the highest enthusiasm, 
and had long regarded with dread and with hatred 
the encroachment of the whites upon the hunting- 
grounds of his fathers. His brother, the Prophet, was 
anorator, who could sway the feelings of the untutored 
Indian as the gale tossed the tree-tops beneath which 
they dwelt. 

But the Prophet was not merely an orator : he was, 
in the superstitious minds of the Indians, invested 
with the superhuman dignity of a medicine-man or a 
magician. With an enthusiasm unsurpassed by Peter 
the Hermit rousing Europe to the crusades, he went 
from tribe to tribe, assuming that he was specially sent 
by the Great .Spirit. 

Gov. Harrison made many attempts to conciliate 
the Indians, but at last the war came, and at Tippe- 
canoe the Indians were routed with great slaughter. 
October 28, 1812, his army began its inarch. When 
near the Prophet's town three Indians of rank made 
their appearance and inquired why Gov. Harrison was 
approaching them in so hostile an attitude. After a 
short conference, arrangements were made for a meet- 
ing the next day, to agree upon terms of peace. 

But Gov. Harrison was too well acquainted with 
the Indian character to be deceived by such protes- 
tations. Selecting a favorable spot for his night's en- 
campment, he took every precaution against surprise 
His troops were posted in a hollow square, and slept 
upon their arms. 

The troops threw themselves upon the ground for 
rest; but every man had his accourtrements on, his 
loaded musket by his side, and his bayonet fixed. The 
wakeful Governor, between three and four o'clock in 
the morning, had risen, and was sitting in conversa- 
tion with his aids by the embers of a waning fire. It 
was a chill, cloudy morning with a drizzling rain. In 
the darkness, the Indians had crept as near as possi- 
ble, and just then, with a savage yell, rushed, with all 
the desperation which superstition and passion most 
highly inflamed could give, upon the left flank of the 
httle army. The savages had been amply provided 
with guns and ammunition by the English. Their 
war-whoop was accompained by a shower of bullets. 

The camp-fires were instantly extinguished, as the 
light aided the Indians in their aim. With hide- 
ous yells, the Indian bands rushed on, not doubting a 
speedy and an entire victory. But Gen. Harrison's 
troops stood as immovable as the rocks around them 

until day dawned : they then made a simultaneous 

K^^^ charge with the bayonet, and swept every thing be- 
fore them, and completely routing the foe. 



ii 








Gov. Harrison now had all his energies tasked 
to the utmost. The British descending from the Can- 
adas, were of themselves a very formidable force ; but 
with their savage allies, rushing like wolves from the 
forest, searching out every remote farm-house, burn- 
ing, plundering, scalping, torturing, the wide frontier 
was plunged into a state of consternation which even 
the most vivid imagination can but faintly conceive. 
The war-whoop was resounding everywhere in the 
forest. The horizon was illuminated with the conflagra- 
tion of the cabins of the settlers. Gen Hull had made 
the ignominious surrender of his forces at Detroit. 
Under these despairing circumstances. Gov. Harrison 
was appointed by President Madison commander-in- 
chief of the North-western army, with orders to retake 
Detroit, and to protect the frontiers. 

It would be difficult to place a man in a situation 
demanding more energy, sagacity and courage; but 
General Harrison was found equal to the position, 
and nobly and triumphantly did he meet all the re- 
sponsibilities. 

He won the love of his soldiers by always sharing 
with them their fatigue. His whole baggage, while 
pursuing the foe up the Thames, was carried in a 
valise; and his bedding consisted of a single blanket 
lashed over his saddle. Thirty-five Britisli officers, 
his prisoners of war, supped with him after the battle. 
The only fare he could give them was beef roasted 
before the fire, without bread or salt. 

In 1816, Gen. Harrison was chosen a member of 
the National House of Representatives, to represent 
the District of Ohio. In Congress he proved an 
active member; and whenever he spoke, it was with 
force of reason and power of eloquence, which arrested 
the attention of all the members. 

In 1 81 9, Harrison was elected to the Senate of 
Ohio; and in 1824, as one of the presidential electors 
of that State, he gave his vote for Henry Clay. The 
same year he was chosen to the United States Senate. 

In 1836, the friends of Gen. Harrison brought him 
forward as a candidate for the Presidency against 
Van Buren, but he was defeated. At the close of 
Mr. Van Buren 's term, he was re-nominated by his 
party, and Mr. Harrison was unanimously nominated 
by the Whigs, with John Tyler for the Vice Presidency. 
The contest was very animated. Gen. Jackson gave 
all his influence to prevent Harrison's election ; but 
his triumph was signal. 

The cabinet which he formed, with Daniel Webster 
at its head as Secretary of State, was one of the most 
brilliant with which any President had ever been 
surrounded. Never were the prospects of an admin- 
istration more flattering, or the hopes of the country 
more sanguine. In the midst of these bright and 
joyous prospects, Gen. Harrison was seized by a 
pleurisy-fever and after a few days of violent sick- 
ness, died on the 4th of April ; just one month after 
his inauguration as President of the United States. 






: 111 










'iSHH^^'r^' 



.bJf'T':-' 



lIHrTTITTTTlMi 



nTXTXxnzmij > 



■ S^l 




TENTH PRESIDENT. 



l4 

13C 

a 

I 
1 



1: 

ilia 
u'a 



I 



1$ 

lis 
lac 

'I 

l^ 

lie 
i=i; 
u 

U": 

LP 
l"j 

i; 

12 

1?, 

uf 

I- 

ii 

It 
11 

i;c 

if 




JOIHK TY 








OHN TYLER, the tenth 
,.,;j 1 residentof the United States. 
He was born in Charles-city 
Co., Va., March 29, 1790. He 
was the favored child of af- 
fluence and high social po- 
sition. At the early age of 
twelve, John entered William 
and Mary College and grad- 
uated with much honor when 
but seventeen years old. After 
graduating, he devoted him- 
self with great assiduity to the 
study of law, partly with his 
father and pirtly with Edmund 
Randolph, one of the most distin- 
guished lawyers of Virginia. 

At nineteen years of age, ne 
commenced the practice of law. 
His success was rapid and aston- 
ishing. It is said that three 
months had not elapsed ere there 
was scarcely a case on the dock- 
I et of the court in which he was 

not retained. When but twenty-one years of age, he 
was almost unanimously elected to a seat in the State 
I Legislature. He connected himself with the Demo- 
[J;1S cratic party, and warmly advocated the measures of 

iJiS 
ij a 

<1 
i| 
I 
1? 

13a 
I 

I 
I 
I 



Jefferson and Madison. For five successive years he 
was elected to the Legislature, receiving nearly the 
unanimous vote or his county. 

When but twenty-six years of age, he was elected 
a member of Congress. Here he acted earnestly and 
ably with the Democratic party, opposing a national 
bank, internal improvements by the General Govern- 



ment, a protective tariff, and advocatmg a strict con- 
struction of the Constitution, and the most careful 
vigilance over State rights. His labors in Congress 
were so arduous that before the close of his second 
term he found it necessary to resign and retire to his 
estate in Charles-city Co., to recruit his health. He, 
however, soon after consented to take his seat in the 
State Legislature, where his influence was powerful 
in promoting public works of great utility. With a 
reputation thus canstantly increasing, he was chosen 
by a very large majority of votes. Governor of his 
native State. His administration was signally a suc- 
cessful one. His popularity secured his re-election. 

John Randolph, a brilliant, erratic, half-crazed 
man, then represented Virginia in the Senate of the 
United States. A portion of the Democratic party 
was displeased with Mr. Randolph's wayward course, 
and brought forward John Tyler as his op[X)nent, 
considering him the only man in Virginia of sufficient 
popularity to succeed against the renowned orator of 
Roanoke. Mr. Tyler was the victor. 

In accordance with his professions, upon taking his 
seat in the Senate, he joined the ranks of the opposi- 
tion. He opposed the tariff; he spoke against and 
voted against the bank as unconstitutional ; he stren- 
uously oi)ix)sed all restrictions upon slavery, resist- 
ing all projects of internal improvements by the Gen- 
eral Government, and avowed his sympathy with Mr. 
Calhoun's view of nullification ; he declared that Gen. 
Jackson, by his opposition to the nullifiers, had 
abandoned the principles of the Democratic party. 
Such was Mr. Tyler's record in Congress, — a record 
in perfect accordance with the principles which he 
had always avowed. 

Returning to Virginia, he resumed the practice of 
his profession. There was a split in the Democratic 



fl 



m 

M 



1 I 
1 I 

ij I 



% -\ 



li 



Hi 









g 



ta^^ 



KJipxnuy 



?H?a 



;6 




lip 
m 




JOHN TYLER. 



party. His friends still regarded him as a true Jef- 
fersonian, gave him a dinner, and showered compli- 
ments upon him. He had now attained the age of 
forty-six. His career had been very brilliant. In con- 
sequence of his devotion to public business, his pri- 
vate affairs had fallen into some disorder; audit was 
not without satisfaction that he resumed the practice 
of law, and devoted himself to the culture of his plan- 
tation. Soon after this he removed to Williamsburg, 
for the better education of his children ; and he again 
took his seat in the Legislature of \'irginia. 

By the Southern Whigs, he was sent to the national 
convention at Harrisburg to nominate a President in 
1839. The majority of votes were given to Gen. Har- 
rison, a genuine \Vhig, much to the disappointment of 
the South, who wished for Henry Clay. To concili- 
ate the Southern Whigs and to secure their vote, the 
convention then nominated John Tyler for Vice Pres- 
ident. It was well known that he was not in sympa- 
thy with the Whig party in the Noith: but the Vice 
President has but very little power in the Govern- 
ment, his main and almost only duty being to pre- 
side over the meetings of the Senate. Thus it ha|i- 
pened that a Whig President, and, in reality, a 
Democratic Vice President were chosen. 

In 1841, Mr. Tyler was inaugurated Vice Presi- 
dent of the United States. In one short month from 
that time. President Harrison died, and Mr. Tyler 
thus found himself, to his own surprise and that of 
the whole Nation, an occupant of the Presidential 
chair. This was a new test of the stability of our 
institutions, as it was the first time in the history of our 
country that such an event had occured. Mr. Tyler 
was at home in Williamsburg when he received the 
unexpected tidings of the death of President Harri- 
son. He hastened to Washington, and on the 6th of 
April was inaugurated to the high and responsible 
office. He was placed in a position of e.xceeding 
delicacy and difficulty. All his long life he had been 
opposed to the main principles of the party which had 
brought him into power. He had ever been a con- 
sistent, honest man, with an unblemished record. 
Gen. Harrison had selected a Whig cabinet. Should 
he retain them, and thus surround himself with coun- 
sellors whose views were antagonistic to his own? or, 
on the other hand, should he turn against the party 
which had elected him and select a cabinet in har- 
mony with himself, and which would oppose all those 
views which the Whigs deemed essential to the pub- 
lic welfare.' This was his fearful dilemma. He in- 
vited the cabinet which President Harrison had 
selected to retain their seats. He reccommended a 
day of fasting and prayer, that God would guide and 
bless us. 

The Whigs carried through Congress a bill for the 

incorporation of a fiscal bank of the United States. 

The President, after ten days' delay, returned it with 

^.his veto. He suggested, however, that he would 



approve of a bill drawn up upon such a plan as he 
proposed. Such a bill was accordingly prepared, and 
privately submitted to him. He gave it his approval. 
It was passed without alteration, and he sent it back 
with his veto. Here commenced the open rupture. 
It is said that Mr. Tyler was provoked to this meas- 
ure by a published letter from the Hon. John M. 
Botts, a distinguished Virginia Whig, who severely 
touched the pride of the President. 

The opposition now exultingly received the Presi- 
dent into their arms. The party which elected him 
denounced him bitterly. AH the members of his 
cabinet, excepting Mr. Webster, resigned. The Whigs 
of Congress, both the Senate and the House, held a 
meeting and issued an address to the people of the 
United States, proclaiming that all political alliance 
between the Whigs and President Tyler were at 
an end. 

Still the President attempted to concihate. He 
appointed a new cabmet of distinguished Whigs and 
Conservatives, carefully leaving out all strong party 
men. Mr. Webster soon found it necessary to resign, 
forced out by the pressure of his Whig friends. Thus 
the four years of Mr. Tyler's unfortunate administra- 
tion passed sadly away. JNo one was satisfied. The 
land was filled with murmurs and vituperation. \Miigs 
and Democrats alike assailed him. More and more, 
however, he brought himself into sympathy with his 
old friends, the Democrats, until at the close of his term, 
he gave his whole influence to the .support of Mr. 
Polk, the Democratic candidate for his successor. 

On the 4th of March, 1845, he retired from the 
harassments of office, tothe regret of neitherparty, and 
probably to his own unspeakable relief. His first wife, 
Miss Letitia Christian, died in Washington, in 1842; 
and in June, 1844, President Tyler was again married, 
at New York, to Miss Julia Gardiner, a j-oung lady of 
many personal and intellectu,al accomplishments. 

The remainder of his days Mr. Tyler passed mainly 
in retirement at his beautiful home, — Sherwood For- 
est, Charles-city Co., Va. A polished gentleman in 
his manners, richly furnished with niformation from 
books and experience in the world, and possessing 
brilliant powers of conversation, his family circle was 
the scene of unusual attractions. With sufficient 
means for the exercise of a generous hospitality, he 
might have enjoyed a serene old age with the few 
friends who gathered around him, were it not for the 
storms of civil war which his own principles and 
policy had helped to introduce. 

When the great Rebellion rose, which the State- 
rights and nullifying doctrines of Mr. John C. ("al- | 
houn had inaugurated, President Tyler renounced his i 
allegiance to the United States, and joined the Confed- i 
erates. He was chosen a member of their Congress; | 
and while engaged in active measures- to destroy, by i 
force of arms, the Government over which he had i 
once presided, he was taken sick and soon died, j 




ixct? i] i-i-i-iiJ- i-iHL inyi :m[-i[umii-i v - 



ixinxul^ 



;' trTI^IttlpljX»»Ii.»-l-l(l""" 



1 iWiriirnr mi: 



^xmtiTxlHiixxrxxiixrrjrmTxirxT 




ELE VENTH PRESIDENT. 



59 








.1 AMES M. POIK. 










5 3 



11 





1^ AMES K.POLK, the eleventh 
^President of the United States, 
7 was born in Mecklenburg Co., 
5 N. C.,Nov. 2, 1795. His par- 
y^. ents were Samuel and Jane 
(Knox) Polk, the former a son 
of Col. Thomas Polk, who located 
at the above place, as one of the 
first pioneers, in 1735. 

In the year i3o6, with his wife 
and children, and soon after fol- 
lowed by most of the members of 
the Polk famly, Samuel Polk emi- 
grated some two or three hundred 
miles farther west, to the rich valley 
of the Duck River. Here " in the 
midst of the wilderness, in a region 
which was subsequently called Mau- 
ry Co., they reared their log huts, 
and established their homes. In the 
hard toil of a new farm in the wil- 
derness, James K. Polk spent the 
early years of his childhood and 
youth. His*father, adding the pur- 
suit of a surveyor to that of a farmer, 
' gradually increased in wealth until 

he became one of the leading men of the region. His 
mother was a superior woman, of strong common 
sense and earnest piety. 

Very early in life, James developed a taste for 
reading and expressed the strongest desire to obtain 
a liberal education. His mother's training had made 
him methodical in his habits, had taught him punct- 
uality and industry, and had ins])ired him with lofty 
principles of morality. His health was frail ; and his 
father, fearing that he might not be able to endure a 



W\^ 



m 



'^i. 



3x:lxxxitxxzx] 




sedentary life, got a situation for him behind the 

counter, hoping to fit him for commercial pursuits. 

This was to James a bitter disapiwintment. He 

had no taste for these duties, and his daily tasks 

were irksome in the extreme. He remained in this 

uncongenial occupation but a few weeks, when at his 

earnest solicitation his father removed him, and made 

arrangements for him to [irosecute his studies. Soon 

after he sent him to Murfreesboro Academy. With 

ardor which could scarcely be surpassed, he pressed 

forward in his studies, and in less than two and a half 

years, in the autumn of 1815, entered the sophomore 

class in the University of North Carolina, at Chapel 

Hill. Here he was one of the most exemplary of 

scholars, punctual in every exercise, never allowing 

himself to be absent from a recitation or a religious 
service. 

He graduated in 1818, with the highest honors, be- 
ing deemed the best scholar of his class, both in 
mathematics and the classics. He was then twenty- 
three years of age. Mr. Polk's health was at this 
time much impaired by the assiduity with which he 
had prosecuted his studies. After a short season of 
relaxation he went to Nashville, and entered the 
office of Felix Grundy, to study law. Here Mr. Polk 
renewed his acquaintance with Andrew Jackson, who 
resided on his plantation, the Hermitage, but a few 
miles from Nashville. They had probably been 
slightly acquainted before. 

Mr. Polk's father was -a Jeffersonian Republican, 
and James K. Polk ever adhered to the same politi- 
cal faith. He was a jxjpular public speaker, and was 
constantly called \\\xi\\ to address th,e meetings of his 
party friends. His skill as a speaker was such that 
he was jxjpularly called the Napoleon of the stump. 
He was a man of unblemished morals, genial and 



Ipi 

m 







3 prrxtxxzxiocxzr] 



223 






icrr»iT»t-Ti 







itijSStro. 



60 



JAMES K. POLK. 



K,Tj 






courteous in his bearing, and with that sympathetic 
nature in the jo> s and griefs of others which ever gave 
him troops of friends. In 1823, Mr. Polk was elected 
to the Legislature of Tennessee. Here he gave his 
strong influence towards the election of his friend, 
Mr. Jackso:i, to the Presidency of the United States. 



In January, 1824, Mr. Polk married Miss Sarah 

Childress, of Rutherford Co., Tenn. His bride was 

pjra altogether worthy of him, — a lady of beauty and cul- 



ture. In the fall of 1825, Mr. Polk was chosen a 



jjli: ; [|j] member of Congress. The satisfaction which he gave 
p;: i] to his constituents may be inferred from the fact, that 
ng.^i for fourteen successive years, until 1839, he was con- 
"HT tinued in that office. He then voluntarily withdrew, 
k only that he might accept the Gubernatorial chair 
[P^'^1 of Tennessee. In Congress he was a laborious 
I 






\ member, a frequent and a popular speaker. He was 
i always in his seat, always courteous ; and whenever 
I he spoke it was always to the point, and without any 
ambitious rhetorical display. 

During five sessions of Congress, Mr. Polk was 
^ W_ Speaker of the House Strong passions were roused, 
ifp Ta and stormy scenes were witnessed ; but Mr. Polk per- 
l!j "j formed his arduous duties to a very general satisfac- 
tion, and a unanimous vote of thanks to him was 
passed by the House as he withdrew on the 4t]i of 
'■^m^ March, 1839. 

In accordance with Southern usage, Mr. Polk, as a 
candidate for Governor, canvassed the State. He was 
elected by a large majority, and on the 14th of Octo- 
ber, 1839, took the oath of office at Nashville. In 184 1, 
his term of office expired, and he was again the can- 
{ -. didatc of the Democratic party, but was defeated. 

r" i^ On the 4th of March, 1845, Mr. Polk was inaugur- 
" • ated President of the United States. The verdict of 



m& 



q the country in favor of the annexation of Texas, exerted 
II its influence upon Congress ; and the last act of the 
Bki^l , administration of President Tyler was to affix his sig- 
nature to a joint resolution of Congress, passed on the 
j3d of March, approving of the annexation of Texas to 
f i the American Union. As Mexico still claimed Texas 
} as one of her provinces, the Mexican minister, 
jJl^ g^ MAlmonte, immediately demanded his passports and 
left the country, declaring the act of the annexation 
to be an act hostile to Mexico. 
.|} In his first message, President Polk urged that 
iTexas should immediately, by act of Congress, be re- 
ceived into the Union on the same footing with the 
other States. In the meantime. Gen. Taylor was sent 



11 




with an army into Texas to hold the country. He was 
sent first to Nueces, which the Mexicans said was the 
western boundary of Texas. Then he was sent nearly 
two hundred miles further west, to the Rio Grande, 
where he erected batteries which commanded the 
Mexican city of Matamoras, which was situated on 
the western banks. 

The anticipated collision soon took place, and war 
was declared against Mexico by President Polk. The 
war was pushed forward by Mr. Polk's administration 
with great vigor. Gen. Taylor, whose army was first 
called one of " observation," then of " occupation," 
then of " invasion, "was sent forward to Monterey. The 
feeble Mexicans, in every encounter, were hopelessly 
and awfully slaughtered. The day of judgement 
alone can reveal the misery which this war caused. 
It v/as by the ingenuity of Mr. Polk's administration 
that the war was brought on. 

'To the victors belong the spoils." Mexico was 
prostrate before us. Her capital was in our hands. 
We now consented to peace upon the condition that 
Mexico should surrender to us, in addition to Texas, 
all of New Mexico, and all of Upper and Lower Cal- 
ifornia. This new demand embraced, exclusive of 
Texas, eight hundred thousand square miles. This 
was an extent of territory equal to nine States of the 
size of New York. Thus slavery was securing eighteen 
majestic States to be added to the Union. There were 
some Americans who thought it all right : there were 
others who thought it all wrong. In the prosecution 
of this war, we expended twenty thousand lives and 
more tlian a hundred million of dollars. Of this 
money fifteen millions were paid to Mexico. 

On the 3d of March, 1849, Mr. Polk retired from 
office, having served one term. The next day was 
Sunday. On the 5th, Gen. Taylor was inaugurated 
as his successor. Mr. folk rode to the Capitol in the 
same carriage with Gen. Taylor; and the same even- 
ing, with Mrs. Polk, he commenced his return to 
Tennessee. He was then but fifty-four years of age. 
He had ever been strictly temperate in all his habits, 
and his health was good. With an ample fortune, 
a choice library, a cultivated mind, and domestic ties 
of the dearest nature, it seemed as though long years 
of tranquility and happiness were before him. But the 
cholera — that fearful scourge— was then sweeping up 
the Valley of the Mississippi. This he contracted, 
and died on the 15th of June, 1849, in the fifty-fourth 
year of his age, greatly mourned by his countrymen. 



ri 

1 
1 
I 
1 

%\ 

K- !■ 

it 

fen 
3a 

P 

3)- 1 

all 

gti 

SET 

Si 
111 

%k 
l| 

K- 1 

RRi 



i 

:l 
A 
:l 

Fl 

il 

IE I 

il 

;i 

.\ 
'■\ 
31 

:l 
•I 
:l 



ii 

3^:1 

3S1 



■\\~ 



tlgeii 








iz I xiTxmmit^JTXiiX; 





'y/x^cA^<:^yy/^yc^^y- 



]\^-^^ 



i^J^ficLdil 



^^Tjxi[ ||xiJiirijtmiaritTiiiirr g^i^ 



ftcldc'.cLJ 




TWELFTH PRESIDENT. 




SE-SESEE3ES33: 




ia^ 



S3;iSS >-'P^^T^»r7r;v^AVi.V'V\Ati.\.A.A.TO,.\viv;.Tg 



;^ac:hai^¥ f^-fj^fi^. 



l;g3\\rVSSiEV^S?Xj 




i 




i 7 ACHARY TAYLOR, iweltth 
\ '=>\ President of the United States, 
was born on the 24th of Nov., 
1784, in Orange Co., Va. His 
father. Colonel Taylor, was 
a Virginian of note, and a dis- 
'^ tinguished i>atriot and soldier of 
the Revolution. When Zachary 
was an infant, his father with his 
wife and two children, emigrated 
to Kentucky, where he settled in 
the pathless wilderness, a few 
miles from Louisville. Li this front- 
?(ii« ier home, away from civilization and 
all its refinements, young Zachary 
: could enjoy but few social and educational advan- 
tages. When six years of age he attended a common 
school, and was then regarded as a bright, active boy, 
; rather remarkable for bluntness and decision of char- 
a acter He was strong, fearless and self-reliant, and 
\ manifested a strong desire to enter the army to fight 
\ the Lidians who were ravaging the frontiers. There 
3 is little to be recorded of the uneventful years of his 
;|fi childhood on his father's large hut lonely plantation. 
In 1808, his father succeeded in obtaining for him 
S the commission of lieutenant in the United .States 
E army ; and he joined the troops which were stationed 
^ at New Orleans under Gen. Wilkinson. Soon after 
; this he married Miss .Margaret Smith, a young lady 
from one of the first families of Maryland. 

Immediately after the declaration of war with Kng- 
: land, in 1812, Capt. Taylor (for he had then been 
; promoted to that rank) was put in command of Fort 
B Harrison, on the Wabash, about fifty miles above 
: Vincennes. This fort had been built in the wilder- 
; ness by Gen. Harrison,on his march to Tippecanoe. 
; It was one. of the first points of attack by the Indians, 
: led by Tecumseh. Its garrison consisted of a broken 




company of infantry numbering fifty men, many of 
whom were sick. 

Early in the autumn of 181 2, the Indians, stealthily, 
and in large numbers, moved uixan the fort. Their 
approach was first indicated by the murder of two 
soldiers just outside of the stockade. Capt. Taylor 
made every possible preparation to meet the antici- 
pated assault. On the 4th of September, a band of 
forty painted and plumed savages came to the fort, 
waving a white flag, and informed Capt. Taylor that 
in the morning their chief would come to have a talk 
with him. It was evident that their object was merely 
to ascertain the state of things at the fort, and Capt. 
Taylor, well versed in the wiles of the savages, kept 
them at a distance. 

The sun went down; the savages disappeared, the 
garrison slept upon their arms. One hour before 
midnight the war whoop burst from a thousand lips 
in the forest around, followed by the discharge of 
musketry, and the rush of the foe. Every man, sick 
and well, sprang to his post. Every man knew that 
defeat was not merely death, but in the case of cap- 
ture, death by the most agonizing and prolonged tor- 
ture. No pen can describe, no immagination can 
conceive the scenes which ensued. The savages suc- 
ceeded in setting fire to one of the block-houses- 
Until six o'clock in the morning, this awful conflict 
continued. The savages then, baffled at every jroint, 
and gnashing their teeth with rage, retired. Capt. 
'I'aylor, for this gallant defence, was promoted to the 
rank of major by brevet. 

Until the close of the war, MajorTaylor was placed 
in such situations that he saw but little more of active 
service. He was sent far away into the depths of the 
wilderness, to Fort Crawford, on Fo.\ River, which 
empties into Green Bay. Here there was but little 
to be done hut to wear away the tedious hours as one 
best could. There were no books, no society, no in- 



iijijiiiiiiiiiiii 



[,r.AWicv^ jxxitixsl 





liMl 



PH 



■ t^ 



assasj 



.-£^=aii- 







; jKj-j<^ imiixirrrrrxiiiinTxxirixrti|< [ 



64 



ZACHARY TAYLOR. 



ITTT: . 1 ^ 

in 



^i 



1 



If A^ 
11 



iT- 



I 



11 



11 



"f 



tellectual stimulus. _ Thus with him the uneventful 
years rolled on Gradually he rose to the rank of 
colonel. In the Black-Hawk war, which resulted in 
the capture of that renowned chieftain, Col Taylor 
took a subordinate but a brave and efficient part. 

For twenty-four years Col. Taylor was engaged in 
the defence of the frontiers, in scenes so remote, and in 
employments so obscure, that his name was unknown 
beyond the limits of his own immediate acquaintance. 
In the year 1836, he was sent to Florida to compel 
the Seminole Indians to vacate that region and re- 
tire beyond the Mississippi, as their chiefs by treaty, 
had promised they should do. The services rendered 
here secured for Col. Taylor the high appreciation of 
the Government; and as a reward, he was elevated 
to the rank of brigadier-general by brevet ; and soon 
after, in May, 1838, was appointed to the chief com- 
mand of the United States troops in Florida. 

After two years of such wearisome employment 
amidst the everglades of the peninsula. Gen. Taylor 
obtained, at his own request, a change of command, 
and was stationed over the Department of the South- 
west. This field embraced Louisiana, Mississippi, 
Alabama and Georgia. Establishing his headquarters 
at Fort Jessup, in Louisiana, he removed his family 
to a plantation which he purchased, near Baton Rogue. 
Here he remained for five years, buried, as it were, 
from the world, but faithfully discharging every duty 
imposed upon him. 

In 1846, Gen. Taylor was sent to guard the land 
between the Nueces and Rio Grande, the latter river 
being the boundary of Texas, which was then claimed 
by the United States. Soon the war with Mexico 
was brought on, and at Palo Alto and Resaca de la 
Palma, Gen. Taylor won brilliant victories over the 
Mexicans. The rank of major-general by brevet 
was then conferred upon Gen. Taylor, and his name 
was received with enthusiasm almost everywhere in 
the Nation. Then came the liattles of Monterey and 
Buena Vista in which he won signal victories over 
forces much larger than he commanded. 

His careless habits of dress and his unaffected 
simplicity, secured for Gen. Taylor among his troops, 
ihz sobriquet of "Old Rough and Ready.' 

The tidings of the brilliant victory of Buena Vista 
spread the wildest enthusiasm over the country. The 
name of Gen. Taylor was on every one's lips. The 
3 Whig party decided to take advantage of this wonder- 
i ful popularity in bringing forward the unpolished, un- 
} lettered, honest soldier as their candidate for the 
d Presidency. Gen. Taylor was astonished at the an- 
nouncement, and for a time would not listen to it; de- 
IJjBM: daring that he was not at all qualified for such an 
^^ESj office. So little interest had he taken in politics that, 
'ij for forty years, he had not cast a vote. It was not 



S 




without chagrin that several distinguished statesmen 

^dlwho had been long years in the public service found 

their claims set aside in behalf of one whose name 



had never been heard of, save in connection with Palo 
Alto, Resaca de la Palma, Monterey and Buena 
Vista. It is said that Daniel Webster, in his haste re- 
marked, " It is a nomination not fit to be made." 

Gen. Taylor was not an eloquent speaker nor a fine 
writer His friends took possession of him, and pre- 
pared such few communications as it was needful 
should be presented to the public. The popularity of 
the successful warrior swept the land. He was tri- 
umphantly elected over two opposing candidates, — 
Gen. Cass and Ex-President Martin Van Buren. 
Though he selected an excellent cabinet, the good 
old man found himself in a very uncongenial position, 
and was, at times, sorely perplexed and harassed. 
His mental sufferings were very severe, and probably 
tended to hasten his death. The pro-slavery party 
was pushing its claims with tireless energy , expedi- 
tions were fitting out to capture Cuba ; California was 
pleading for admission to the Union, while slavery 
stood at the door to bar her out. Gen. Taylor found 
the ix)litical conflicts in Washington to be far more 
trying to the nerves than battles with Mexicans or 
Indians. 

In the midst of all these troubles. Gen. Taylor, 
after he had occupied the Presidential chair but little 
over a year, took cold, and after a brief sickness of 
but little over five days, died on the 9th of July, 1850. 
His last words were, "I am not afraid to die. I am 
ready. I have endeavored to do my duty." He died 
universally respected and beloved. An honest, un- 
pretending man, he had been steadily growing in the 
affections of the people ; and the Nation bitterly la- 
mented his death. 

Gen. Scott, who was thoroughly acquainted with 
Gen. Taylor, gave the following graphic and truthful 
description of his character: — " With a good store of 
common sense, Gen. Taylor's mind had not been en- 
larged and refreshed by reading, or much converse 
with the world. Rigidity of ideas was the conse- 
quence. The frontiers and small military posts had 
been his home. Hence he was quite ignorant for his 
rank, and quite bigoted in his ignorance. His sim- 
plicity was child-like, and with innumerable preju- 
dices, amusing and incorrigible, well suited to the 
tender age. Thus, if a man, however respectable, 
chanced to wear a coat of an unusual color, or his hat 
a little on one side of his head; or an officer to leave 
a corner of his handkerchief dangling from an out- 
side pocket, — in any such case, this critic held the 
offender to be a coxcomb (perhaps something worse), 
whom he would not, to use his oft repeated phrase, 
' touch with a pair of tongs.' 

".\ny allusion to literature beyond good old Dil- 
worth's spelling-book, on the part of one wearing a 
sword, was evidence, with the same judge, of utter 
unfitness for heavy marchings and combats. In short, 
few men have ever had a more comfortable, labor- 
saving contempt for learning of every kind." 



311 



3 --a 



I 
I 



m 

::';a 

sn 
sA 
:;Ji 

a' I 

5=1 

Kl 

II 
11 

ati 
pi 





¥V 



¥ 




«-oO yu^^-z^n^<^<n!^ 






^^x^ac^IJI3^TJXIXIrIxraxx^rl3| i 






ryrr";-y '^-^ ijd jd iij^c-rrr'rrr' 



THIRTEENTH PRESIDENT. 






I ^MILLftRn FILLMnRE.^4 ^ 





ILLARD FILLMORE, thir- 
teentli President of the United 
States, was born at Summer 
Hill, Cayuga Co., N. Y ., on 
the yth of January, 1800. His 
father was a farmer, and ow- 



ing to misfortune, in humble cir 



cumstances. Of his mother, the 
daughter of Dr. .\biathar Millard, 
of Pittsfield, Mass., it has been 
said that she ix)ssessed an intellect 
of very high order, united with much 
personal loveliness, sweetness of dis- 
position, graceful manners and ex- 
ipiisite sensibilities. She died in 
1 83 1 ; having lived to see her son a 
young man of distinguished prom- 
ise, though she was not permitted to witness the high 
dignity which he finally attained. 

In consequence of the secluded home and limited 
means of his father, Millard enjoyed but slender ad- 
vantages for education in his early years. The com- 
mon schools, which he occasionally attended were 
very imperfect institutions; and books were scarce 
and expensive. There was nothing then in his char- 
acter to indicate the brilliant career uix)n which he 
was about to enter. He was a plain fanner's boy ; 
intelligent, good-looking, kind-hearted. The sacred 
influences of home had taught him to revere the Bible, 
and had laid the foundations of an upright character. 
When fourteen years of age, his father sent him 
some hundred miles from home, to the then wilds of 
Livingston County, to learn the trade of a clothier. 
Near the mill there was a small . villiage, where some 



enterprising man had commenced the collection of a 
village library. This proved an inestimable blessing 
to young Fillmore. His evenings were spent in read- 
ing. Soon every leisure moment was occupied with 
books. His thirst for knowledge became insatiate ; 
and the selections which he made were continually 
more elevating and instructive. He read history, 
biography, oratory, and thus gradually there was en- 
kindled in his heart a desire to be something more 
than dTmere worker with his hands; and he was be- 
coming, almost unknown to himself, a well-informed, ^^^ 
educated man. 

The young clothier had now attained the age of 
nineteen years, and was of fine personal appearance 
and of gentlemanly demeanor. It so hapjiened that 
there was a gentleman in the neighborhood of ample 
pecuniary means and of benevolence, — Judge Walter 
Wood, — who was struck with the prepossessing ap- 
pearance of young Fillmore. He made his acquaint- 
ance, and was so much impressed with his ability and 
attainments that he advised him to abandon his 
trade and devote himself to the study of the law. The 
young man replied, that he had no means of his own, 
no friends to help him and that his previous educa- H 
tion had been very imperfect. But Judge Wood had 
so much confidence in him that he kindly offered to 
take him into his own office, and to loan him such 
money as he needed. Most gratefully the generous 
offer was accepted. 

There is in many minds a strange delusion about 
a collegiate education. A young man is supposed to 
be liberally educated if he has graduated at some col- 
lege. But many a boy loiters through university halls 
and then enters a law office, who is by no means as 












l)f i«irT»-g»ry¥T»«»»»»i»T-r^XI 






-ItaLjii' 



-itJuit- 



'^^rr^ 



:i r »(ii ijiii 






•» y 1 H » TT y 1 I t; c 



I m rnrxTxxi 1 TTxrx rmi I rxix, f 



I rximxxcrxrzxTsxxz 






xjjxiJxiAiimrxx -i mia mra - 



KTrn 



68 



MILLARD FILLMORE. 



II 

OS 

9^ 



well prepared to prosecute his legal studies as was 
Millard Fillmore when he graduated at the clothing- 
mill at tire end of four years of manual labor, during 
which every leisure moment had been devoted to in- 
tense mental culture. 

In 1S23, when twenty-three years of age, he v/as 
admitted to the Court of Common Pleas. He then 
went to the village of Aurora, and commenced the 
practice of law. In this secluded, peaceful region, 
his practice of course was limited, and there was no 
opportunity for a sudden rise in foitune or in fame. 
jjl Here, in the year 1826, he married a lady of great 
iM^ i moral worth, and one capable of adorning any station 
W W she might be called to fill, — Miss Abigail Powers. 
Is.Jit His elevation of character, his untiring industry. 



I 



I- 
1^ 



W^A his legal acquirements, and his skill as an advocate. 



III:: l!j gradually attracted attention; and he was invited to 
lli:; III enter into partnership under highly advantageous 
' III circumstances, with an elder member of the bar in 
Buffalo. Just before removing to Buffalo, in 1829, 
he took his seat in the House of Assembly, of the 
State of New York, as a representative from Erie 
County. Though he had never taken a very active 
part in i)olitics, his vote and his sympathies were with 
pr' \£ the Whig party. The State was then Democratic, 
t{} \ and he found himself in a helpless minority in the 



mm 



ifH 



ii 



J 



Legislature , still the testimony comes from all parties, 
that his courtesy, ability and integrity, won, to a very 
unusual degri e the respect of his associates. 

In the autumn of 1832, he was elected to a seat in 
the United States Congress He entered that troubled 

H arena in some of the most tumultuous hours of our 
-_ national history. The great conflict respecting the 
national bank and the removal of the deposits, was 
then raging. 

His term of two years closed ; and he returned to 
his profession, which he pursued with increasing rep- 
utation and success. After a lapse of two years 
he again became a candidate for Congress ; was re- 
g^elected, and took his seat in 1837. His past expe- 
rience as a representative gave hmi strength and 
confidence. The first term of service in Congress to 
any man can be but little more than an introduction. 
He was now prepared for active duty. All his ener- 
gies were brought to bear upon the public good. Every 
measure received his impress. 

Mr. Fillmore was now a man of wide repute, and 
his popularity filled the State, and in the year 1847, 
he was elected Comptroller of the State. 








Mr. Fillmore had attained the age of forty-seven 
years. His labors at the bar, in the Legislature, in 
Congress and as Comptroller, had given him very con- 
siderable fame. The Whigs were casting about to 
find suitable candidates for President and Vice-Presi- 
dent at the approaching election. Far away, on tlie 
waters of the Rio Grande, there was a rough old 
soldier, who had fought one or two successful battles 
with the Mexicans, which had caused his name to Ije 
proclaimed in tiumpet-tones all over the land. But 
it was necessary to associate with him on the same 
ticket some man of reputation as a statesman. 

Under the influence of these considerations, the 
namesof Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore became 
the rallying-cry of the Whigs, as their candidates for 
President and Vice-Peesident. The Whig ticket was 
signally triumphant. On the 4th of March, 1849, 
Gen. Taylor was inaugurated President, and Millard 
Fillmore Vice-President, of the United States. 

On the 9th of July, 1850, President Taylor, but 
about one year and four months after his inaugura- 
tion, was suddenly taken sick and died. By the Con- 
stitution, Vice-President Fillmore thus became Presi- 
dent. He appointed a very able cabinet, of which 
the illustrious Daniel Webster was Secretary of State. 

Mr. Fillmore had very serious difficulties to contend 
with, since the opposition had a majority in both 
Houses. He did everything in his power to conciliate 
the South; but the pro-slavery parly in the South felt 
the inadequacy of all measuresof transient conciliation. 
The population of the free States was so rapidly in- 
creasing over that of the slave States that it was in- 
evitable that the power of the Government should 
soon pass into the hands of the free States. The 
famous compromise measures were adopted under Mr. 
Fillmcre's adminstration, and the Japan Expedition 
was sent out. On the 4th of March, 1853, Mr. Fill- 
more, having served one term, retired. 

In 1856, Mr. Fillmore was nominated for the Pres- 
idency by the " Know Nothing " party, but was beaten 
by Mr. Buchanan. After that Mr. Fillmore lived in 
retirement. During the terrible conflict of civil war, 
he was mostly silent. It was generally supposed that 
his sympathies were rather with those who were en- 
deavoring to overthrow our institutions. President 
Fillmore kept aloof from the conflict, without any 
cordial words of cheer to the one party or the other. 
He was thus forgotten by both. He lived to a ripe 
old age, and died in Buffalo. N. Y., March 8, 1874. 




miraanr 



tmixifH 1 1 Ti rm mmn tin 



TlUriiriitin H 



IDXT TI, 






Bill 



= -?^ 



i 



ji 

£SI ij 



K^Sticia 






r^ .-ll-'l-ll-'Hcglr^r^Pr!-' 



^^r/ 



txinximxxiiitiiii 



,g^ ,,^^a,|r.&a.i|j fc^! ^'T^'^'-'r'r^r'r^r-r'r- 



FOURTEENTH PRESIDENT. 




*^ 



^?7 




■ .L ^aASlklk^ 



g' \ 



^FHMKLIN PIERCE. 



-14- 












RANKLIN PIERCE, the 
fourteenth President of the 
L^nited States, was born in 
Hillsborough, N. H., Nov. 
23, 1804. His father was a 
Revolutionary soldier, who, 
with his own strong arm, 
hewed out a home in the 
wilderness. He was a man 
of inflexible integrity; of 
strong, though uncultivated 
mind, and an uncompromis- 
ing Democrat. The mother of 
Franklin Pierce was all that a son 
could desire, — an intelligent, pru- 
dent, affectionate, Christi-an wom- 
an. Franklin was the sixth of eight children. 

Franklin was a very bright and handsome boy, gen- 
erous, warm-hearted and brave. He won alike the 
love of old and young. The boys on the play ground 
loved him. His teachers loved him. The neighbors 
looked upon him with pride and affection. He was 
by instinct a gentleman; always speaking kind words, 
doing kind deeds, with a peculiar unstudied tact 
wliich taught him what was agreeable. Without de- 
veloping any precocity of genius, or any unnatural 
devotion to books, he was a good scholar; in body, 
in mind, in affections, a finely-developed boy. 

When sixteen years of age, in the year 1820, he 

entered Bowdoin College, at Brunswick, Me, He was 

one of the most ]x)pular young men in the college. 

The purity of his moral character, the unvarying 

ourtesy of his demeanor, his rank as a scholar, and 



genial nature, rendered him a universal favorite. 
There was something very peculiarly winning in his 
address, and it was evidently not in the slightest de- 
gree studied : it was the simple outgushing of his 
own magnanimous and loving nature. 

Upon graduating, in the year 1824, Franklin Pierce 
commenced the study of law in the ofifice of Judge 
Woodbury, one of the most distinguished lawyers of 
the State, and a man of great private worth. The 
eminent social qualities of the young lawyer, his 
father's prominence as a public man, and the brilliant 
political career into which Judge Woodbury was en- 
tering, all tended to entice Mr. Pierce into the faci- 
nating yet perilous path of political life. \\'\\.\\ all 
the ardor of his nature he espoused the cause of Gen. 
Jackson for the Presidency. He commenced the 
practice of law in Hillsborough, and was soon elected 
to represent the town in the State Legislature. Here 
he served for four yeais. The last two years he was 
chosen speaker of the house by a very large vote. 

In 1833, at the age of twenty-nine, he was elected 
a member of Congress. ^Vithout taking an active 
part in debates, he was faithful and laborious in duty, 
and ever rising in the estimation of those with whom 
he was associatad. 

In 1837, being then but thirty-three years of age, 
he was elected to the Senate of the United States; 
taking his seat just as Mr. Van Buren commenced 
his administration. He was the youngest member in 
the Senate. In the year 1834. he married Miss Jane 
Means Appleton, a lady of rare beauty and accom- 
plishments, and one admirably fitted to adorn every 
station with which her husband was honoied. Of the 




iJ; 



.laj 



11 



22= 



■axxAzuLtzr 




72 



FRANKLIN PIERCE. 




three sons who were born to them, all now sleep with 
their parents in the grave. 

Ill the year 1838, Mr. Pierce, with growing fame 
and increasing business as a lawyer, took up his 
residence in Concord, the capital of New Hampshire. 
President Polk, upon his accession to office, appointed 
Mr. Pierce attorney-general of the United States ; but 
the offer was declined, in consequence of numerous 
professional engagements at home, and the precariuos 
state of Mrs. Pierce's health. He also, about the 
ll ; m same time declined the nomination for governor by the 
n ■ % , Democratic party. The war with Mexico called Mr. 
Pierce in the army. Receiving the appointment of 
brigadier-general, he embarked, with a portion of his 
troops, at Newport, R. I., on the 27th of May, 1847. 
He took an important part in this war, proving him- 
self a brave and true soldier. 

When Gen. Pierce reached his home in his native 
State, he was received enthusiastically by the advo- 
cates of tlie Mexican war, and coldly by his oppo- 
nents. He resumed the practice of his profession, 
i very frequently taking an active part in political ques- 
tions, giving his cordial support to the pro-slavery 
wing of the Democratic party. The compromise 
IjiT.^ - measures met cordially with his approval ; and he 
H H strenuously advocated the enforcement of the infa- 
' " mous fugitive-slave law, which so shocked the religious 
sensibilities of the North. He thus became distin- 
guished as a " Northern man with Southern principles.'' 
The strong partisans of slavery in the South conse- 
quently regarded him as a man whom they could 
safely trust in office to carry out their plans. 

On the I 2th of June, 1852, the Democratic conven- 
tion met in Baltimore to nominate a candidate for the 
Presidency. For four days they continued in session, 
and in thirty-five ballotings no one had obtained a 
two-thirds vote. Not a vote thus far had been thrown 
iaial j for Gen. Pierce. Then the Virginia delegation 
\ D brought forward his name. There were fourteen 
!U!|»wmore ballotings, during which Gen. Pierce constantly 
gained strength, until, at the forty-ninth ballot, he 
received two hundred and eighty-two votes, and all 
other candidates eleven. Gen. Winfield Scott was 
the Whig candidate. Gen. Pierce was chosen with 
great unanimity. Only four States — Vermont, Mas- 
sachusetts, Kentucky and Tennessee — cast their 
electoral votes against him Gen. Franklin Pierce 
was therefore inaugurated President of the United 
States on the 4th of March, 1853. 



r'jr'V.dr'.drr^ Hr-ir^HH 



1 

P 



2i 

am 

afh 

\\ 

;ti 

Sj-h 

i 

I 

I 

3U 



as 



His administration proved one of the most stormy our 
country had ever experienced. The controversy be- 
tween slavery and freedom was then approaching its 
culminating point. It became evident that there was 
an " irrepressible conflict " between them, and that 
this Nation could not long e.xist " half slave and half 
free." President Pierce, during the whole of his ad- 
ministration, did every thing he Could to conciliate 
the South ; but it was all in vain. The conflict every 
year grew more violent, and threats of the dissolution % j 
of the Union were borne to the North on every South- m- 
em breeze. 

Such was the condition of affairs when President 
Pierce approached the close of his four-years' term 
of office. The North had become thoroughly alien- 
ated from him. The anti-slavery sentiment, goaded 
by great outrages, had been rapidly increasing; all 
the intellectual ability and social worth of President 
Pierce were forgotten in deep reprehension of his ad- 
ministrative acts. The slaveholders of the South, also, 
unmindful of the fidelity with which he had advo- 
cated those measures of Government which they ap- 
proved, and perhaps, also, feeling that he had 
rendered himself so unpopular as no longer to be 
able acceptably to serve them, ungratefully dropped 
him, and nominated James Buchanan to succeed him. 

On the 4th of March, 1857, President Pierce re- 
tired to his home in Concord. Of three children, two 
had died, and his only surviving child had been 
killed before his eyes by a railroad accident ; and his 
wife, one of the most estimable and accomplished of 
ladies, was rapidly sinking in consumption. The 
hour of dreadful gloom soon came, and he was left 
alone in the world, without wife or child. 

When the terrible Rebellion burst forth, which di- 
vided our country into two parties, and two only, Mr. 
Pierce remained steadfast in the principles which he 
had always cherished, and gave his sympathies to 
that pro-slavery party with which he had ever been 
allied. He declined to do anything, either by voice 
or pen, to strengthen the hand of the National Gov- 5E 
ernment. He continued to reside in Concord until 
the time of his death, which occurred in October, Hi 
1869. He was one of the most genial and social of gjii 
men, an honored communicant of the Episcopal jt: 
Church, and one of the kindest of neighbors. Gen- ; : 
erous to a fault, lie contributed liberally for the al- % 
leviation of suffering and want, and many of his towns- S^^j 
people were often gladened by his material bounty. EH 



ii 

1 

% 

i5i 
\ 
1 
1 

el 
\ 

I 

I 
1 
1 
1 

i 

SI' I 

5;; I 

V:\ 

5=1 
-A 

1 

pi 
I 

I 
I 
1 
I 
I 
I 
I 

SSI 

I 
I 
I 
1 




"j-'^'"-''^'^'-^-'-^-''^-' Ea g 




i./ 



J ^ 



■'fs 





^^^6^7nj>j 



Q,^7ejC-^^C?0^< 



'2^e^^>^>^ 



f-iHHi-r!.a 



t rirUinaixiE 



I noixiSiTiT riVixxiaxr 




I'IFTEENTH PRESIDENT, 



.?S^^SJ^2S'.^.^^■Si'^^^taa'^^^»^.1S'.gr^.- 



g^^'^'^'^i'ggit^t^'ggi'^'^'^'iva'^' 




-♦-• 




-»»- 



: ■ ■ ;ji'^trg)'SJi>t^ '^«^'^'^':aat^ i?t£ai 



>'.i^t^t^t%'i^(^»^>^»^(^i^ 






•-4- 



-5»»- 




AMES BUCHANAN, the fif- 
teL-iUh President of the United 
States, was born in a small 
frontier town, at the foot of the 
eastern ridge of the Alleglia- 
nies, in Franklin Co., Penn.,on 
jS the 23d of April, 1791. The place 
where the liunible cabin of his 
father stood was called Stony 
Batter. It was a wild and ro- 
mantic spot in a gorge of the moun- 
tains, with towering summits rising 
grandly all around. His father 
was a native of the north of Ireland ; 
a ix>or man, who had emigrated in 
rySj, with little property save his 
Avn strong arms. Five years afterwards he married 
1 lizabelh Spear, the daughter of a respectable farmer, 
tiid, with his young bride, plunged into the wilder- 
ess, staked liis claim, reared his log-hut, opened a 
learing with his axe, and settled down there to per- 
form his obscure part in the drama of life. In this se- 
'hided home, where James was born, he remained 
lor eight years, enjoying but few social or intellectual 
ulvantagcs. When James was eight years of age, his 
i.ither removed to the village of Mercersburg, where 
liis son was placed at school, and commenced a 
I ourse of study in English, Latin and Greek. His 
progress was rapid, and at the age of fourteen, he 
i-ntered Dickinson College, at Carlisle. Here he de- 
veloped remarkable talent, and took his stand among 
the first scholars in the institution. His application 
U) study was intense, and yet his native powers eu- 



abled him to master the most abstruse subjects with 
facility. 

In the year iSog, he graduated with the highest 
honors of his class. He was then eighteen years of 
age; tall and graceful, vigorous in healtli, fond of 
athletic sport, an unerring shot, and enlivened with 
an exuberant flow of animal spirits. He immediately 
commenced the study of law in the city of Lancaster, 
and was admitted to the bar in 181 2, when he was 
but twenty-one years of age. Very rapidly he rose 
in his profession, and at once took undisputed stand 
with the ablest lawyers of the State. When but 
twenty-six years of age, unaided by counsel, he suc- 
cessfully defended before the State Senate one of the 
judges of the State, who was tried upon articles of 
impeachment. At the age of thirty it was generally 
admitted that he stood at the head of the bar; and 
there was no lawyer in the State who liad a more lu- 
crative practice. 

In 1820, he reluctantly consented to run as a 
candidate for Congress. He was elected, and for 
ten years he remained a member of the Lower House. 
During the vacations of Congress, he occasionally 
tried some important case. In 1831, he retired 
altogether from the toils of his jjrofession, having aC- 
([uired an ample fortune. 

Cien. Jackson, uix)n his elevation to the Presidency, 
apix)inted Mr. Buchanan minister to Russia. The 
duties of his mission he performed with ability, which 
gave satisfaction to all parties. Ujxjn his return, in 
1833, he was elected to a seat in the United States 
Senate. He there met, as his associates, Webster, 
Clay, Wright and Calhoun. He advocated lire meas- 
ures proposed by President Jackson, of making repri- 



I J ,'.mii:M:.::,r::jjj,-.: 




i.i- 



it 



ii 



m^ 







xirxairrj], ^^^tTj 'f tm^'^tji"" -J^i^^Jixixjjijji i^?R^, 






76 



JAMES BUCHANAN. 



sals against France, to enforce the payment of our 
claims against that country ; and defended the course 
of the President in his unprecedented and wholesale 
removal from office of those who were not the sup- 
porters of his administration. Upon this question he 
was brought into direct collision with Henry Clay. 
He also, with voice and vote, advocated exi)unging 
from the journal of the Senate the vote of censure 
against Gen. Jackson for removing the deposits. 
Earnestly he opposed the abolition of slavery in the 
District of Columbia, and urged the prohibition of the 
circulation of anti-slavery documents by the United 
States mails. 

As to petitions on the subject of slavery, he advo- 
cated that they should be respectfully received; and 
that the reply should be returned, that Congress had 
no power to legislate upon the subject. " Congress," 
said he, "might as well undertake to interfere with 
slavery under a foreign government as in any of the 
States where it now exists." 

Upon Mr. Polk's accession to the Presidency, Mr. 
Buchanan became Secretary of State, and as such, 
took his share of the responsibility in the conduct of 
the Mexican War. Mr. Polk assumed that crossing 
the Nueces by the American troops into the disputed 
territory was not wrong, but for the Mexicans to cross 
the Rio Grande into that territory was a declaration 
of war. No candid man can read with pleasure the 
account of the course our Government pursued in that 
movement. 

Mr. Buchanan identified himself thoroughly with 
the party devoted to the perpetuation and extension 
of slavery, and brought all the energies of his mind 
to bear against the Wilmot Proviso. He gave his 
cordial approval to the compromise measures of 1S50, 
which included the fugitive-slave law. Mr. Pierce, 
upon his election to the Presidency, honored Mr. 
Buchanan with the mission to England. 

In the year 1856, a national Democratic conven- 
tion nominated Mr. Buchanan for the Presidency. The 
political conflict was one of the most severe in which 
our country has ever engaged. All the friends of 
slavery were on one side; all the advocates of its re- 
striction and final abolition, on the other. Mr. Fre- 
mont, the candidate of the enemies of slavery, re- 
ceived H4 electoral votes. Mr. Buchanan received 
174, and was elected. The popular vote stood 
1,340,618, for Fremont, 1,224,750 for Buchanan. On 
March 4th, 1857, Mr. Buchanan was inaugurated. 

Mr. Buchanan was far advanced in life. Only four 
years were wanting to fill up his threescore years and 
ten. His own friends, those with whom he had lieen 
allied in political principles and action for years, were 
seeking the destruction of the Government, that they 
might rear upon the ruins of our free institutions a 
nation whose corner-stone should be human slavery. 
In this emergency, Mr. Buchanan was hopelessly be- 
wildered He could not, with his long-avowed prin- 



'I 



q' 



ciples, consistently oppose the State-rights party in 5' 
their assumptions. As President of the United States, | 
boimd by his oath faithfully to administer the laws, 
he could not, without perjury of the grossest kind 
unite with those endeavoring to overthrow the repub- 
lic. He therefore did nothing. 2 

The opponents of Mr. Buchanan's administration p 
nominaied Abraham Lincoln as their standard bearer S 
in the next Presidential canvass. The pro-slavery \ 
party declared, that if he were elected, and the con- g 
trol of the Government were thus taken from their 8 
hands, they would secede from the Union, taking S 
with them, as they retired, the National Capitol at ~ 
Washington, and the lion's share of the territory of t 
tiie United States. s 

Mr. Buchanan's sympathy with the pro-slavery \. 
party was such, that he had been willing to offerthem 
far more than they had ventured to claim. All the 
South had professed to ask of the North was non- 
intervention upon the subject of slavery. Mr. Bu- 
chanan had been ready to offer them the active co- 
operation of the Government to defend and extend 
the institution. 

As the storm increased in violence, the slaveholders 
claiming the right to secede, and Mr. Buchatian avow- 
ing that Congress had no power to prevent it, one of ;: 
the most pitiable exhibitions of governmental im- 3- 
becility was exhibited the world has ever seen. He "■■ 
declared that Congress had no power to enforce its 
laws in any State which had withdrawn, or which 
was attempting to withdraw from the Union. This 3! 
was not the doctrine of Andrew Jackson, when, with H! 
his hand upon his sword hilt, he exclaimed, " The \ 
Union must and shall be preserved!" j 

South Carolina seceded in December, i860; nearly \ 
three months before the inauguration of President I 
Lincoln. Mr. Buchanan looked on in listless despair. 5^ 
The rebel flag was raised in Charleston; Fort Sumpter 3; 
was besieged; our forts, navy-yards and arsenals |: 
were seized; our depots of military stores were plun- % 
dered ; and our custom-houses and post-offices were 3 
appropriated by the rebels. 3: 

The energy of the rebels, and the imbecility of our 1; 
Executive, were alike marvelous. The Nation looked \ 
on in agony, waiting for the slow weeks to glide away, Sf 
and close the administration, so terrible in its weak- 1: 
ness At length the long-looked-for hour of deliver- 3; 
ance came, when Abraham Lincoln was to receive the 8: 
scepter. I; 

The administration of President Buchanan was \i 
certainly the most calamitous our country has ex- 
perienced. His best friends cannot recall it with 
jjleasure. And still more deplorable it is for his fame, 
that in that dreadful conflict which rolled its billows «,.^ 
of flame and blood over our whole land, no word came 3ei 
from his lips to indicate his wish that our country's 3* 
banner should triumph over the flag of the rebellion, g; 
He died at his Wheatland retreat, J\ine i, 1868. 5; 



a.- 



fc'^BSJ 





CJ^y/^^^' CfT-^^^ 



Laxir^4:;;xr-;y 



-'g . rrc- . tr.rl 



rxnrrxinjinrnTi 
ixuzxxiixiiirixii 




SIXTEENTH PRESIDENT. 



T) 




^ i ABRAHAM > ^^(^ < LINCOLN. > | 







BRAHAM LINCOLN, the 
sixteenth President of the 
iv^United States, was born in 
Hardin Co., Ky., Feb. 12, 
1809. About the yeari78o, a 
man by the name of Abraham 
Lincohi left Virginia witli his 
family and moved into the tlien 
wilds of Kentucky. Only two years 
after this emigration, still a young 
man, while working one day in a 
field, was stealthily approached by 
an Indian and shot dead. His widow 
was left in extreme poverty with five 
little children, three boys and two 
girls. Thomas, the youngest of the 
boys, was four years of age at his 
father's death. This Thomas was 
the father of Abraham Lincoln, the 
President of the United States 
whose name must henceforth forever be enrolled 
with the most prominent in the annals of our world. 
Of course no record has been kept of the life 
of one so lowly as Thomas Lincoln. He was among 
the poorest of the poor. His home was a wretched 
log -cabin; his food the coarsest and the meanest. 
Education he had none; he could never either read 
or write. As soon as he was able to do anything for 
himself, he was compelled to leave the cabin of his 
starving mother, and push out into the world, a friend- 
less, wandering boy, seeking work. He hired him- 
self out, and thus spent the whole of his youth as a 
laborer in the fields of others. 

When tweTity-eight years of age he buill a log- 
cabin of his own, and married Nancy Hanks, the 
daughter of another family of poor Kentucky emi- 
grants, who jiad also come from Virginia. Their 
second child was Abraham Lincoln, the subject of 
this sketch. The mother of Abraham was a noble 
woman, gentle, loving, pensive, created to adorn 
a palace, doomed to toil and pine, and die in a hovel. 
" All that I am, or hope to be," e.xclaims the grate- 
ful son " I owe to my angel-mother. 

When he was eight years of age, his father sold his 



cabin and small farm, and moved to Indiana. Where 
two years later his mother died. 

Abraham soon became the scribe of the uneducated 
community around him. He could not have had a 
better school than this to teach him to put thoughts 
into words. He also became an eager reader. The 
books he could obtain were few ; but these he read 
and re-read until they were almost committed to 
memory. 

As the years rolled on, the lot of this lowly family 
was the usual lot of humanity. Tht^re were joys and 
griefs, weddings and funerals. Abraham's sister 
Sarah, to whom he was tenderly attached, was mar- 
ried when a child of but fourteen years of age, and 
soon died. The family was gradually scattered. Mr. 
Thomas Lincoln sold out his squatter's claim in 1830, 
and emigrated to Macon Co., 111. 

Abraham Lincoln was then twenty-one years of age. 
With vigorous hands he aided his father in rearing 
another log-cabin. Abraham worked diligently at this 
until he saw the family comfortably settled, and their 
small lot of enclosed prairie planted with corn, when 
he announced to his father his intention to leave 
home, and to go out into the world and seek his fur- 
tune. Little did he or his friends imagine how bril- 
liant that fortune was to be. He saw the value of 
education and was intensely earnest to improve his 
mind to the utmost of his power. He saw the ruin 
which ardent spirits were causing, and became 
strictly temperate; refusing to allow a drop of intoxi- 
cating liquor to pass his lips. And he had read in 
God's word, " Thou shall not take the name of the 
Lord thy God in vain;" and a profane exi)ression he 
was never heard to utter. Religion he revered. His 
morals were pure, and he was uncontaminated by a 
single vice. 

Young Abraham worked for a time as a hired laborer 
among the farmers. Then he went to Springfield, 
where he was employed in building a large flat-boat. 
In this he took a herd of swine, floated them down 
the Sangamon to the Illinois, and thence by the Mis- 
sissippi to New Orleans. Whatever Abraham I,in- 
coln undertook, he performed so faithfully as to give 
great satisfaction to his employers. In this adven- 




t^. 









•L |-_. 



mm 



F'"^ 



^I&ji^^ 



Mf-' 



M 



11 



ii 



^'2 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 



-- L5 




ture his employers were so well pleased, that uix)n 
his return tney placed a store and mill under his care. 

In 1832, at the outbreak of the Black Hawk war, he 
enlisted and was chosen captain of a company. He 
returned to Sangamon County, and although only 23 
years of age, was a candidate for the Legislature, but 
was defeated. He soon after received from Andrew 
Jackson the appointmentof Postmaster of New Salem, 
His only post-office was his hat. All the letters he 
received he carried there ready to deliver to those 
he chanced to meet. He studied surveying, and soon 
made this his business. In 1834 he again became a 
candidate for the Legislature, and was elected Mr. 
Stuart, of Springfield, advised him to study law. He 
walked from New Salem to Springfield, borrowed of 
Mr. Stuart a load of books, carried them back and 
began his legal studies. When the Legislature as- 
sembled he trudged on foot with his pack on his back 
one hundred miles to Vandalia, then the capital. In 
1836 he was re-elected to the Legislature. Here it 
was he first met Stephen A. Douglas. In 1839 he re- 
moved to Springfield and began the practice of law. 
His success with the jury was so great that he was 
soon engaged in almost every noted case in the circuit. 

In 1854 the great discussion began between Mr. 
Lincoln and Mr. Douglas, on the slavery question. 
In the organization of the Republican party in Illinois, 
in 1856, he took an active part, and at once became 
one of the leaders in that party. Mr. Lincoln's 
speeches in opposition to Senator Douglas in the con- 
test in 1858 for a seat in the Senate, form a most 
notable part of his history. The issue was on the 
;lavery question, and he took the broad ground of 
.he Declaration of Independence, that all men are 
created equal. Mr. Lincoln was defeated in this con- 
test, but won a far higher prize. 

The great Republican Convention met at Chicago 
on the i6ih of June, i86o. The delegates and 
strangers who crowded the city amounted to twenty- 
five thousand. An immense building called "The 
VVigwanv," was reared to accommodate the Conven- 
tion. There were eleven candidates for whom votes 
were thrown. William H. Seward, a man whose fame 
as a statesman had long filled the land, was tlie most 
oroniinent. It was generally supposed he would be 
the nominee, Abraham Lincoln, however, received 
the nomination on the third ballot. Little did he then 
dream of the weary years of toil and care, and the 
bloody death, to which that nomination doomed him: 
and as little did he dream that he was to render services 
to his country, which would fix upon him the eyes of 
the whole civilized world, and which would give him 
a place in the affections of his countrymen, second 
only, if second, to that of Washington. 

Election day came and Mr. Lincoln received 180 
electoral votes out of 203 cast, and was, therefore, 
constitutionally elected President of the United States. 
The tirade of abuse that was poured uix)n this good 



and merciful man, especially by the slaveholders, was r 
greater than upon any other man ever elected to this : 
high jxjsition. In February, 1861, Mr. Lincoln started 3 ; 
for Washington, stopping in all the large cities on his ; 
way making speeches. The whole journey was frought r 
with much danger. Many of the Southern States had ^ 
already seceded, and several attempts at assassination ; 
were afterwards brought to light. A gang in Balti- 'i 
more had arranged, upon his arrival to "get up a row," E ; 
and in the confusion to make sure of his death with ; 
revolvers and hand-grenades. A detective unravelled ^ 
the plot. A secret and special train was provided to : 
take him from HarrisL>urg, through Baltimore, at an : 
une.xpected hour of the night. The train started at ^ 
half-past ten ; and to prevent any possible communi- : 
cation on the part ot the Secessionists with their'Con- : 
federate gang in Baltimore, as soon as the train had r 
started the telegraph-wires were cut. Mr. Lincoln j 
reached Washington in safety and was inaugurated, ; 
although great anxiety was felt by all loyal people, r 

In the selection of his cabinet Mr. Lincoln gave [!- 
to Mr, Seward the Department of State, and to other ^■ 
prominent opponents before the convention he gave '- 
imjOTrtant [xasitions. : 

During no other administration have the duties ^ 
devolving upon the President been so manifold, and ; 
the responsibilities so great, as those which fell to : 
the lot of President Lincoln. Knowing this, and : 
feeling his own weakness and inability to meet, and in 5 
his own strength to cope with, the difficulties, he S 
learned early to seek Divine wisdom and guidance in \- 
determining his plans, and Divine comfort in all his 3!; 
trials, both personal and national. Contrary to his p 
own estimate of himself, Mr. Lincoln was one of the I 
most courageous of men. He went directly into the " 
rebel capital just as the retreating foe was leaving, ; 
with no guard but a few sailors. From the time he [ 
had left Springfield, in 1861, however, plans had been 'i 
made for his assassination, and he at last fell a victim :" 
to one of them. April 14, 1865, he, with Gen. Grant, ; 
was urgently invited to attend Fords' Theater. It • 
was announced that they would Le present. Gen. - 
Grant, however, left the city. President Lincoln, feel- ; 
ing, witli his characteristic kindliness of heart, that : 
it would be a disappointment if he should fail them, : 
very reluctantly consented to go. While listening to ; 
the play an actor by the name of John Wilkes Booth E 
entered the box where the President and family were ; 
seated, and fired a bullet into his brains. He died the : 
next morning at seven o'clock. " 

Never before, in the history of the world was a nation : 
plunged into such deep grief by the death of its ruler ; : 
Strong men met in the streets and wept in speechless : 
anguish. It is not too much to say that a nation was ; 
in tears. His was a life which will fitly become a ; 
model. His name as the savior of his country will E 
live with that of Washington's, its father; his country- r 
men being unable to decide which is the greater. : 





Oo^ 




"<:^-C^<n^ 



SEVENTEENTH PRESIDENT. 



H 




i\<>{ o u w,m ^Due^r^srje'L 






NDREW JOHNSON, seven- 
teenth President of the United 
States. The early life of 
Andrew Johnson contains but 
the record of poverty, destitu- 
tion and friendlessness. He 
was born December 29, 180S, 
in Raleigh, N. C. His parents, 
belonging to the class of the 
"lx)or whites " of the Soutli, were 
in such circumstances, that they 
could not confer even the slight- 
est advantages of education uixin 
their child. When Andrew was five 
years of age, his father accidentally 
lost his life while herorically endeavoring to save a 
friend from drowning. Until ten years of age, Andrew 
was a ragged boy about the streets, supported by the 
labor of his mother, who obtained her living with 
her own hands. 

He then, having never attended a school one day, 
and being unable either to read or write, was ap- 
prenticed to a tailor in his native town. A gentleman 
was in the habit of going to the tailor's shop occasion- 
ally, and reading to the boys at work there. He often 
read from the speeches of distinguished British states- 
men. .'\ndrew, who was endowed with a mind of more 
than ordinary native ability, became much interested 
in these speeches ; his ambition was roused, and he 
was inspired with a strong desire to learn to read. 

He accordingly applied himself to the alphabet, and 
with the assistance of some of his fellow-woikmen, 
learned his letters. He then called upon the gentle- 
man to borrow the Ixxjk of speeches. The owner, 



^ 




pleased with his zeal, not only gave h[m the book, 
but assisted him in learning to combine the letters 
into words. Under such difficulties he pressed on- 
ward laboriously, spending usually ten or twelve hours 
at work in the shop, and then robbing himself of rest 
and recreation to devote such time as he could to 
reading. 

He went to Tennessee in 1826, and located at 
Greenville, where he married a young lady who pos- 
sessed some education. Under her instructions he 
learned to write and cipher. He became prominent 
in the village debating society, and a favorite with 
the students of Greenville College. In 1828, he or- 
ganized a working man's party, which elected him 
alderman, and in 1830 elected him mayor, which 
position he held three years. 

He now began to take a lively interest in political 
affairs; identifying himself with the working-classes, 
to which he belonged. In 1835, he was elected a 
member of the House of Representatives of Tennes- 
see. He was then just twenty-seven years of age. 
He became a very active member of the legislature, 
gave his adhesion to the Democratic party, and in 
1840 "stumped the State," advocating Martin Van 
Buren's claims to the Presidency, in opposition to thost 
of Gen. Harrison. In this campaign he acquired much 
readiness as a speaker, and extended and increased 
his reputation. 

In 1841, he was elected State Senator; in 1843, he 
was elected a member of Congress, and by successive 
elections, held that important post for ten years. In 
1853, he was elected Governor of Tennessee, and 
was re-elected in 1855. In all these resjjonsible ix)si- 
tions, he discharged his duties with distinguished abil- 



^ ifcj^ 




II 



% 1 IXI'J I XXTifA 





M 








ixxnxxutjx: 



i-TTri>>T«y¥r¥i-iir«iinnn mnr 



crxyji riii xitxxiii rTTiTj 



rrofi 



irxtxxiiz rrrirrri ia rrxPDiriTitji j;-) 






ii 84 



ANDREW JOHNSON. 



ity, and proved himself the warm friend of the work- 
ing classes. In 1857, Mr. Johnson was elected 
United States Senator. 
rar Years before, in 1845, he had warmly advocated 
[lii] the annexation of Texas, stating however, as his 
reason, that he thought this annexation would prob- 
ably prove " to be the gateway out of which the sable 
sons of Africa are to pass from bondage to freedom, 
and become merged in a population congenial to 
themselves." In 1850, he also supiMrted the com- 
promise measures, the two essential features of wliich 
were, that the white people of the Territories should 
OB^Ij be permitted to decide for themselves whether they 
would enslave the colored people or not, and that 
the free "States of the North should return to the 
South persons who attempted to escape from slavery. 
Mr. Johnson was neverasharaedof his lowly origin: 
on the contrary, he often took pride in avowing that 
he owed his distinction to his own exertions. "Sir," 
said he on the floor of the Senate, " I do not forget 
that I am a mechanic ; neither do I forget that Adam 



)[pM| was a tailor and sewed fig-leaves, and that our Sav- 
ior was the son of a carpenter." 

In the Charleston-Baltimore convention of i860, he 
was the choice of the Tennessee Democrats for the 
Presidency. In 1861, when the purpose of the South- 
ern Democracy became apparent, he took a decided 
stand in favor of the Union, and held that " slavery 
must be held subordinate to the Union at whatever 
cost." He returned to Tennessee, and repeatedly 
imperiled his own life to protect the Unionists of 
Tennesee. Tennessee having seceded from the 
Union, President Lincoln, on March 4th, 1862, ap- 
pointed him Military Governor of the State, and he 
established the most stringent military rule. His 
numerous proclamations attracted wide attention. In 

1864, he was elected Vice-President of the United 
States, and upon the death of Mr. Lincoln, April 15, 

1865, became President. In a speech two days later 
he said, " The American people must be taught, if 

[ they do not already feel, that treason is a crime and 
must be punished ; that the Government will not 
always bear with its enemies ; that it is strong not 
only to protect, but to punish. * * The people 
must understand that it (treason) is the blackest of 
crimes, and will surely be punished." Yet his whole 
administration, the history of which is so well known, 
was in utter inconsistency with, and the most violent 




1 

opposition to, the principles laid down in that speech, s! j- 

In his loose policy of reconstruction and general sf J 
amnesty, he was opposed by Congress; and he char- ~;| 
acterized Congress as a new rebellion, and lawlessly ^J 
defied it, in everything possible, to the utmost. In 3: 
the beginnirig of 1868, on account of "high crimes 5>^ 
and misdemeanors," the principal of which was the ;; j 
removal of Secretary Stanton, in violation of the Ten- % 
ure of Office Act, articles of impeachment were pre- \\ 
ferred against him, and the trial began March 23. 

It was very tedious, continuing for nearly three 



3Fl 



months. .\ test article of the impeachment was at b|;{ 
length submitted to the court for its action. It wa 
certain that as the court voted upon that article so 3~} 
would it vote upon all. Thirty-four voices pronounced ><tp 
the President guilty. As a two-thirds vote was neces- .-^ 
sary to his condemnation, he was pronounced ac- 5] J 
quitted, notwithstanding the great majority against a|i 
him. The change of one vote from the not giiilty 3| 
side would have sustained the impeachment. 

The President, for the remainder of his term, was 
but little regarded. He continued, though impotently, 
his conflict with Congress. His own party did not 
think it expedient to renominate him for the Presi- 
dency. The Nation rallied, with enthusiasm unpar- 
alleled since the days of Washington, around the name 
of Gen. Grant. Andrew Johnson was forgotten. 
The bullet of the assassin introduced him to the 
President's chair. Notwithstanding this, never was 
there presented to a man a better opportunity to im- 
mortalize his name, and to win the gratitude of a 
nation. He failed utterly. He retired to his home 
in Greenville, Tenn., taking no very active part in 
politics until 1875. On Jan. 26, after an exciting 
struggle, he was chosen by the Legislature of Ten- 
nessee, United States Senator in the forty-fourth Con- 
gress, and took his seat in that body, at the special 
session convened by President Grant, on the sth of 
March. On the 27th of July, 1875, the ex-President gjl 
made a visit to his daughter's home, near Carter 
Station, Tenn. When he started on his journey, he was Mu_h 
apparently in his usual vigorous health, but on reach- gg} 
ing the residence of his child the following day, was 
stricken with paralysis, rendering him unconscious. 
He rallied occasionally, but finally passed away at 3| } 
2 A.M., July 31, aged sixty-seven years. His fun- *^ 
eral was attended at Geenville, on the 3d of .\ugust, 
with every demonstration of respect. .,. 




£SEiBH2a 




/" 




1^<p^ 



<:g.^2-t^u^ 





LYSSES S. GRANT, the 
eighteenth President of the 
i|» United States, was born on 
the 29th of April, 1822, of 
Christian parents, in a humble 
home, at Point Pleasant, on the 
banks of the Ohio. Shortly after 
his father moved to George- 
town, Brown Co., O. In this re- 
mote frontier hamlet, Ulysses 
received a common-school edu- 
cation. .\t the age of seven- 
teen, in the year 1839, he entered 
the Military .\cademy at West 
Point. Here he was regarded as a 
solid, sensilile young man of fair abilities, and of 
sturdy, honest character. He took respectable rank 
as a scholar. In June, 1843, he graduated, about the 
middle in his class, and was sent as lieutenant of in- 
fantry to one of the distant military posts in the Mis- 
souri Territory. Two years he past in these dreary 
solitudes, watching the vagabond and exasperating 
Indians. 

The war with Mexico came. Lieut. Grant was 
sent with his regiment to Corpus Christi. His first 
battle was at Palo Alto. There was no chance here 
for the ejihibition of either skill or heroism, nor at 
Kesaca de la Palma, his second battle. .\t the battle 
of Monterey, his third engagement, it is said that 
he performed a signal service of daring and skillful 
horsemanship. His brigade had exhausted its am- 
munition. A messenger must be sent for more, along 
a route expwsed to the bullets of the foe. Lieut. 
Grant, adopting an expedient learned of the Indians, 
grasped the mane of his horse, and hanging upon one 
side of the animal, ran the gauntlet in entire safety. 

I ii:irxir mm ^Ti 



From Monterey he was sent, with the fourth infantry, 
to aid Gen. Scott, at the siege of Vera Cruz. In 
preparation for the march to the city of Mexico, he 
was appointed quartermaster of his regiment. At the 
battle of Molino del Rey, he was promoted to a 
first lieutenancy, and was brevetted captain at Cha- 
pultepec. 

At the close of the Mexican War, Capt. Grant re- 
turned with his regiment to New York, and was again 
sent to one of the military posts on the frontier. The 
discovery of gold in California causing an immense 
tide of emigration to flow to the Pacific shores, Capt. 
Grant was sent with a battalion to Fort Dallas, in 
Oregon, for the protection of the interests of the im- 
migrants. Life was wearisome in those wilds. Capt. 
Grant resigned his commission and returned to the 
States; and having married, entered upon the cultiva- 
tion of a small fami near St. Louis, Mo. He had but 
little skill as a farmer. Finding his toil not re- 
munerative, he turned to mercantile life, entering into 
the leather business, with a younger brother, at Ga- 
lena, 111. This was in the year i860. As the tidings 
of the rebels firing on Fort Sumpter reached the ears 
of Capt. Grant in his counting-room, he said, — 
"Uncle Sam has educated me for the army; though 
I have served him through one war, I do not feel tiiat 
I have yet repaid the debt. I am still ready to discharge 
my obligations. I shall therefore buckle on my sword 
and see Uncle Sam through this war too." 

He went into the streets, raised a company of vol- 
unteers, and led them as their captain to Springfield, 
the capital of the State, where their services were 
offered to Gov. Yates. The Governor, impressed by 
the zeal and straightforward executive ability of Capt. 
Grant, gave him a desk in his office, to assist in the 
volunteer organization that was being formed in the 
State in behalf of the Government. On the isth of 



m 



'^ I' 












IK 







rwTTTTm-r** 



,.ijfit^ 88 



y 



11 



u 





UL YSSES S. GRA NT. 




June, 1861, Capt. Grant received a commission as 
Colonel of the Twenty-first Regiment of Illinois Vol- 
unteers. His merits as a West Point graduate, who 
had served for 15 years in the regular army, were such 
that he was soon promoted to the rank of Brigadier- 
General and was placed in command at Cairo. The 
rebels raised their banner at Paducah, near the mouth 
of the Tennessee River. Scarce_ly had its folds ap- 
peared in the breeze ere Gen. Grant was there. The 
rebels fled. Their banner fell, and the star and 
stripes were unfurled in its stead. 

He entered the service with great determination 
and immediately began active duty. This was the be- 
ginning, and until the surrender of Lee at Richmond 
he was ever pushing the enemy with great vigor and 
effectiveness. At Belmont, a few days later, he sur- 
prised and routed the rebels, then at Fort Heniy 
won another victory. Then came the brilliant fight 
at Fort Donelson. The nation was electrified by the 
victory, and the brave leader of the boys in blue was 
immediately made a Major-General, and the military 
district of Tennessee was assigned to him. 

Like all great captains, Gen. Grant knew well how 
to secure the results of victory. He immediately 
pushed on to the enemies' lines. Then came the 
terrible battles of Pittsburg Landing, Corinth, and the 
siege of Vicksburg, where Gen. Pemberton made an 
unconditional surrender of the city with over thirty 
thousand men and one-hundred and seventy-two can- 
non. The fall of Vicksburg was by far the most 
severe blow which the rebels had thus far encountered, 
and opened up the Mississippi from Cairo to the Gulf. 

Gen. Crvant was next ordered to co-operate with 
Gen. Banks in a movement upon Texas, and pro- 
ceeded to New Orleans, where he was thrown from 
his horse, and received severe injuries, from which he 
was laid up for months. He then rushed to the aid 
of Gens. Rosecrans and Thomas at Chattanooga, and 
by a wonderful series of strategic and technical meas- 
ures put the Union Army in fighting condition. Then 
followed the bloody battles at Chattanooga, Lookout 
Mountain and Missionary Ridge, in which the rebels 
were routed with great loss. This won for him un- 
bounded praise in the North. On the 4th of Febru- 
ary, 1864, Congress revived the grade of lieutenant- 
general, and the rank was conferred on Gen. Grant. 
He repaired to Washington to receive his credentials 
and enter upon the duties of his new office. 



Gen. Grant decided as soon as he took charge of StJ 
the army to concentrate the widely-dispersed National ^ i 
troops for an attack upon Richmond, the nominal 3ei 
capital of the Rebellion, and endeavor there to de- ; ; i 
stroy the rebel armies which would be promptly as-«;i 
sembled from all quarters for its defence. The whole 9,= 1 
continent seemed to tremble under the tramp of these 3t 1 
majestic armies, rushing to the decisive battle field. Sji 
Steamers were crowded with troops. Railway trains t^: i 
were burdened with closely packed thousands. HisSgi 
plans were comprehensive and involved a series of Sj 
campaigns, which were executed with remarkable en- 
ergy and ability, and were consummated at the sur-^i 
render of Lee, April 9, 1865. Jcj 

31 



The war was ended. The Union was saved. The ST- 
almost unanimous voice of the Nation declared Gen, 



Grant to be tlie most prominent instrument in its sal- 5!^ 



I 



vation. 



The eminent services he had thus rendered 35} 



the country brought him conspicuously forward as the ^j 
Republican candidate for the Presidential cliair. ^^ 



At the Republican Convention held at Chicago, 



sn 

May 21, 1 868, he was unanimously nominated for the i^ 
Presidency, and at the autumn election received a 3|| 
majority of the popular vote, and 2T4 out of 294 31 
electoral votes. 

The National Convention of the Republican party gil 
which met at Philadelphia on the 5th of June, 1872,^1 
placed Gen. Grant in nomination for a second term 
by a unanimous vote. The selection was emphati- 
cally indorsed by the people five months later, 292 
electoral votes being cast for him. ISJi 

Soon after the close of his second term, Gen. Grant 
started upon his famous trip around the world. He 
visited almost every country of the civilized world, 
and was everywhere received with such ovations 
and demonstrations of respect and honor, private 
as well as public and official, as were never liefore % 
bestowed upon any citizen of the L^^nited States. 

He was the most prominent candidate before the x\ 
Republican National Convention in 1880 for a re- 5';!- 
nomination for President. He went to New York and :j 1 
embarked in the brokerage business under the firm &= 
nameof Grant & Ward. The latter proved a villain, '- 
wrecked Grant's fortune, and for larceny was sent to 5 
the penitentiary. Tlie General was attacked with ;i^ 
cancer in the throat, but suffered in his stoic-like \'-S 
manner, never complaining. He was re-instated as J; { 
General of the Army and retired by Congress. The Ji} 
cancer soon finished its deadly work, and July 23, 
1885, the nation went in mourning over the death of 
the illustrious General. 







S^^^w^e*-^ 




l ^i^^-^y^ r^ ^ . 




i 



NINETEENTH PRESIDENT. 



9« >: 



l^Kll 



IS 

15? 



1.^ 

n;; 




..^^e. 







■■fe)'.''i'^'^'^'^t^i»t^t^<^'^a';g>'^'tSa.*:t'^'ii^>--5 



■V^'.gSJtgg'»^>^»%>t^cgS' 







UTHERFORl) B. HAYES, 
the nineteentli President of 
the United States, was born in 
Delaware, O., Oct. 4, 1822, al- 
most three months after the 
death of his father, Rutherford 
Hayes. His ancestry on both 
the paternal and maternal sides, 
was of the most honorable char- 
acter. It can be traced, it is said, 
as far back as 1280, when Hayes and 
Rutherford were two Scottish chief- 
tains, fighting side by side with 
Baliol, William Wallace and Robert 
Bruce. Both families belonged to the 
nobility, owned extensive estates, 
and had a large following. Misfor- 
tune overtaking the family, George Hayes left Scot- 
land in 1680, and settled in Windsor, Conn. His son 
(ieorge was born in Windsor, and remained there 
during his life. Daniel Hayes, son of the latter, mar- 
ried Sarah Lee, and lived from the time of his mar- 
riage until his death in Simsbury, Conn. Ezekiel, 
son of Daniel, was born in 1724, and was a manufac- 
turer of scythes at Bradford, Conn. Rutherford Hayes, 
son of Ezekiel and grandfather of President Hayes, was 
born in New Haven, in August, 1756. He was a farmer, 
blacksmith and tavern-keeper. He emigrated to 
Vermont at an unknown date, settling in Brattleboro, 
where he established a hotel. Here his son Ruth- 
erford Hayes, the father of President Hayes, was 



liii 



WW 



born. He was married, in September, 1813, to Sophia 
Birchard, of Wilmington, Vt., whose ancestors emi- 
grated thither from Connecticut, they having been 
among the wealthiest and best famlies of Norwich. 
Her ancestry on the male side are traced back to 
1635, to John Birchard, one of the principal founders 
of Norwich. Both of her grandfathers were soldiers 
in the Revolutionary War. 

The father of President Hayes was an industrious, 
frugal and opened-hearted man. He was of a me- 
chanical turn, and could mend a plow, knit a stock- 
ing, or do almost anything else that he choose to ..| 
undertake. He was a member of the Church, active ,1^ 
in all the benevolent enterprises of the town, and con- ^!j 
ducted his business on Christian principles. After 
the close of the war of 181 2, for reasons inexplicable 
to his neighbors, he resolved to emigrate to Ohio. ra;^ 

The journey from Vermont to Ohio in that day, Pji ~! 
when there were no canals, steamers, nor railways, 'hlh nj] 
was a very serious affair. A tour of inspection was rr. ^ 
first made, occupying four months. Mr. Hayes deter- |7it,j1 
mined to move to Delaware, where the family arrived - • 
in 1817. He died July 22, 1822, a victim of malarial 
fever, less than three months before the birth of the 
son, of whom we now write. Mrs. Hayes, in her sore be- 
reavement, found the support she so much needed in 
her brother Sardis, who had been a member of the 
household from the day of its departure from Ver- 
mont, and in an orphan girl whom she had adopted 
some time before as an act of charity. 

Mrs. Hayes at this period was very weak, and the 





!3HHi^sii 




mm 



M 



B 



i 



c 



subject of this sketch was so feeble at birth that he 
was not expected to live beyond a month or two at 
most. As the months went by he grew weaker and 
weaker, so that the neighbors were in the habit of in- 
quiring from time to time " if Mrs. Hayes' baby died 
last night." On one occasion a neighbor, who was on 
familiar terms with the family, after alluding to the 
boy's big head, and the mother's assiduous care of 
him, said in a bantering way, " That's right ! Stick to 
him. You have got him along so far, and I shouldn't 
wonder if he would really come to something yet." 

"You need not laugh," said Mrs. Hayes. "You 
wait and see. You can't tell but I shall make him 
President of the United States yet." The boy lived, 
in spite of the universal predictions of his speedy 
death; and when, in 1825, his older brother was 
drowned, he became, if possible, still dearer to his 
mother. 

The boy was seven years old before he went to 
school. His education, however, was not neglected. 
He probably learned as much from his mother and 
sister as he would have done at school. His sports 
were almost wholly within doors, his playmates being 
his sister and her associates. These circumstances 
tended, no doubt, to foster that gentleness of dispo- 
sition, and that delicate consideration for the feelings 
of others, which are marked traits of his character. 

His uncle Sardis Birchard took the deepest interest 
in his education ; and as the boy's health had im- 
proved, and he was making good progress in his 
studies, he proposed to send him to college. His pre- 
paration commenced with a tutor at home; but he 
was afterwards sent for one year to a professor in the 
Wesleyan University, in Middletown, Conn. He en- 
tered Kenyon College in 1838, at the age of sixteen, 
and was graduated at the head of his class in 1842. 

Immediately after his graduation he began the 
study of law in the oiifice of Thomas Sparrow, Esq., 
in Columbus. Finding his opportunities for study in 
Columbus somewhat limited, he determined to enter 
the Law School at Cambridge, Mass., where he re- 
mained two years. 

In 1845, after graduatmg at the Law School, he was 
admitted to the bar at Marietta, Ohio, and shortly 
afterward went into practice as an attorney-at-Iaw 
with Ralph P. Buckland, of Fremont. Here he re- 
mained three years, acquiring but a limited practice, 
and apparently unambitious of distinction in his pro- 
fession. 

In 1849 he moved to Cincninati, where his ambi- 
i"tioii found a new stimulus. For several years, how- 
ever, his progress was slow. Two events, occurring at 
this period, had a powerful influence upon his subse- 
quent life. One of these was his marrage with Miss 
Lucy Ware Webb, daughter of Dr. James Webb, of 
Chilicothe; the other was his introduction to the Cin- 
cinnati Literary Club, a body embracing among its 
members such men as Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase, 





Gen. John Pope, Gov. Edward F. Noyes, and 
others hardly less distinguished in after life, 
marriage was a fortunate one in every respect, as 
everybody knows. Not one of all the wives of our 
Presidents was more universally admired, reverenced 
and beloved than was Mrs. Hayes, and no one did 
more than she to reflect honor upon American woman- 
hood. The Literary CluD brought Mr. Hayes into 
constant association with young men of high char- 
acter and noble aims, and lured him to display the 
qualities so long hidden by his bashfulness and 
modesty. 

In 1856 he was nominated to the office of Judge of 
the Court of Common Pleas ; but he declined to ac- 
cept the nomination. Two years later, the office of 3cjj 
city solicitor becoming vacant, the City Council 3|i 
elected him for the unexpired term. ^ 

In 1861, when the Rebellion broke out, he was at 
the zenith of his professional life. His rank at the 
bar was among the the first. But the news of 
attack on Fort Sumpter found him eager to take 
arms for the defense of his country. 

His military record was bright and illustrious. 
October, 186 1, he was made Lieutenant-Colonel, and 
in August, 1862, promoted Colonel of the 79th Ohio 
regiment, but he refused to leave his old comrades 
and go among strangers. Subsequently, however, he 
was made Colonel of his old regiment. At the battle 
of South Mountain he received a wound, and while 
faint and bleeding displayed courage and fortitude 
that won admiration from all. 

Col. Hayes was detached from his regiment, after 
his recovery, to act as Brigadier-General, and placed 
in command of the celebrated Kanawha division, 
and for gallant and meritorious services in the battles 
of Winchester, Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek, he was 
promoted Brigadier-General. He was also brevetted 
Major-General, "for gallant and distinguished services 
during the campaigns of 1864, in West Virginia." In 
the course of his arduous services, four horses were 
shot from under him, and he was wounded four times. 

In 1864, Gen. Hayes was elected to Congress, from 
the Second Ohio District, which had long been Dem- 
ocratic. He was not present during the campaign, 
and after his election was importuned to resign his 
commission in the army ; but he finally declared, " I 
sliall never come to Washington until I can come by 
the way of Richmond." He was re-elected in 1866. 

In 1867, Gen Hayes was elected Governor of Ohio, 
over Hon. Allen G. Thurman, a popular Democrat. 
In 1869 was re-elected over George H. Pendleton. 
He was elected Governor for the third term in 1875. 

In 1 87 6 he was the standard bearer of the Repub- 
lican Party in the Presidential contest, and after a 
hard long contest was chosen President, and was in 
augurated Monday, March 5, 1875. He served his 
full term, not, hcwever, with satisfaction to his party, 
but his admin vstration was an average on= 






! 

■ S 

SI 

#1 

en 
W 

Eft 

I 

I 

f;i 
h 

? 

ii 
li 

I 
1 
I 

il 
I 

1 
1 
1 

m 
i 



ix i xrmtxiiirm igrmmEiJ 



m 








-■v 




s'f .i/ ^mt M >— J CT^^As- ^^-^ 1 ■^.-. ... ,\T/, 





AiMES A. GARl'liiLl), Uvx-n- 
ticth President of the United 
Slates, was born Nov. i y, 
I S3 1, in the woods of Orange, 
Cuyahoga Co., O His par- 
ents were Abram and Eliza 
(Ballou) Garfield, both of New 
England ancestry and from fami- 
lies well known in the early his- 
tory of that section of our coun- 
try, but had moved to the Western 
Reserve, in Ohio, early in its settle- 
ment. 

The house in which James A. was 
l)orn was not unlike the houses of 
poor Ohio farmers of that day. It 
was about 20x30 feet, built of logs, with the spaces be- 
tween tlie logs filled with clay. His father was a 
hard working farmer, and he soon had his fields 
' leared, an orcliard planted, and a log barn built. 
Tlie household comprised the father and mother and 
tiieir four children — Mehetaliel, Thomas, Mary and 
James. In .May, 1823, the father, from a cold con- 
tracted in helping to jiut out a forest fire, died. At 
this time James was about eighteen months old, and 
I'homas about ten years old. No one, perhaps, can 
tell how much James was indebted to his biother's 
toil and self sacrifice during the twenty years suc- 
ceeding his father's death, but undoubtedly very 
much. He now lives in Michigan, and the two sis- 
ters live in Solon, O., near tiieir birthi)lace. 

The early educational advantages young Garfield 
enjoyed were very limited, yet he made the most of 
them. He labored at farm work for others, did car- 
penter work, chopped wood, or did anything that 
would bring in a few dollars to aid his widowed 
mother in her struggles to keep the little family to- 



gether. Nor was Gen. Garlield ever ashamed of his 
origin, and he never forgot the friends of his strug- 
gling childhood, youth and manhood, neither did they 
ever forget him. When in the highest seats of honor, 
the humblest fiiend of his boyhood was as kindly 
greeted as ever. The poorest laborer was sure of the 
sympathy of one who had known all the bitterness 
of want and the sweetness of bread earned by the 
sweat of the brow. He was ever the simple, plain, 
modest gentleman. 

The highest ambition of young Clarfield until lie 
was about si.xteen years old was to be a captain of 
a vessel on Lake Erie. He was anxious to go aboard 
a vessel, which his mother strongly opposed. She 
finally consented to his going to Cleveland, with the 
understanding, however, that he should try to obtain 
some other kind of employment. He walked all the 
way to Cleveland. This was his first visit to the city. 
After making many applications for work, and trying 
to get aboard a lake vessel, and not meeting with 
success, he engaged as a driver for his cousin, Amos 
Letcher, on the Ohio iV Pennsylvania Canal. He re- 
mained at this work but a short time when he went 
home, and attended tiie seminary at Chester for 
about three years, when he entered Hiram and the 
Eclectic Institute, teaching a few terms of school in 
tlie meantime, and doing other work. This school 
was started by the Disciples of Christ in 1850, of 
which church he was then a member. He became 
janitor and bell-ringer in order to help pay his way. 
He then became both teacher and pupil. He soon 
" exhausted Hiram " and needed more ; hence, in the 
fall of 1854, he entered Williams College, from which 
he graduated in 1856, taking one of the liighest hon- 
ors of his class. He afterwards returned to Hiram 
College as its President. .-Xs above stated, he early 
united with the Christian or Diciples Church at 
Hiram, and was ever after a devoted, zealous mem- 
ber, often preaching in its pulpit and places where 
he hajipened to be. Dr. Noah Porter. President of 
Yale College, says of him in reference to his religion : 




m 



I-- 



ixTiinxxxxt 



nxxu xQirumxiiitimm 



TPTxun iJiirx i T iTrxiixt 





;;t 



u 



^ 



I A 



M 



ii 





I rjLilTiiATAU U.1HUX1,1U ITXI 



xflRxfi.Ujmaxgxtxxri: t 



96 



JAMES A. GARFIELD. 




" President Garfield was more than a man of 
strong moral and religious convictions. His whole 
history, from boyhood to the last, shows that duty to 
man and to God, and devotion to Christ and life and 
faith and spiritual commission were controlling springs 
of his being, and to a more than usual degree. In 
my judgment there is no more interesting feature of 
his character than his loyal allegiance to the body of 
Christians in which he was trained, and the fervent 
sympathy which he ever showed in their Christian 
communion. Not many of the few 'wise and mighty 
and noble who are called' show a similar loyalty to 
the less stately and cultured Christian communions 
in which they have been reared. Too often it is true 
that as they step upward in social and political sig- 
nificance they step upward from one degree to 
another in some of the many tyjjes of fashionable 
Christianity. President Garfield adhered to the 
church of his mother, the church in which he was 
trained, and in which he served as a pillar and an 
evangelist, and yet with the largest and most unsec- 
tarian charity for all 'who loveour Lord in sincerity.'" 

Mr. Garfield was united in marriage with Miss 
Lucretia Rudolph, Nov. 11, 1858, who proved herself 
worthy as the wife of one whom all the world loved and 
mourned. To them were born seven children, five of 
whom are still living, four boys and one girl. 

Mr. Garfield made his first political speeches in 1856, 
in Hiram and the neighboring villages, and three 
years later he began to speak at county mass-meet- 
ings, and became the favorite speaker wherever he 
was. Daring this year he was elected to the Ohio 
Senate. He also began to study law at Cleveland, 
and in 1861 was admitted to the bar. The great 
Rebellion broke ovit in the early part of this year, 
and Mr. Garfield at once resolved to fight as he had 
talked, and enlisted to defend the old flag. He re- 
ceived his commission as Lieut. -Colonel of the Forty- 
second Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Aug. 
14, 1861. He was immediately put into active ser- 
vice, and before he had ever seen a gun fired in action, 
was placed in command of four regiments of infantry 
and eight companies of cavalry, charged with the 
work of driving out of his native State the officer 
(Humphrey M^irshall) reputed to be the ablest of 
those, not educated to war whom Kentucky had given 
to the RebeUion. This work was bravely and speed- 
ily accomplished, although against great odds. Pres- 
ident Lincoln, on his success commissioned him 
Brigadier-General, Jan. 10, 1862; and as "he had 
been the youngest man in the Ohio Senate two years 
before, so now he was the youngest General in the 
army." He was with Gen. Buell's army at Shiloh, 
in itsoperations around Corinth and its march througli 
Alaliama. He was then detailed as a member of the 
General Coutt-Martial for the trial of Gen. Fitz-John 
Porter. He w.is then ordered to report to Gen. Rose- 
crans, and was assigned to the " Chief of Staff." 

The military history of Gen. Garfield closed with 



— >:H 

his brilliant services at Chickamauga, where he won \\ 

the stars of the Major-General. 

Without an effort on his part Gen. Garfield was 

elected to Congress in the fall of 1862 from the 

Nineteenth District of Ohio. This section of Ohio 

had been represented in Congress for si.\ty years 

mainly by two men — Elisha Whittlesey and Joshua S !J 



- "1'. 

:t. 










R. Giddings. It was not without a struggle that he 
resigned his place in the army. At the time he en- 
tered Congress he was the youngest member in that 
body. There he remained by successive re- 
elections until he was elected President in 1880. 
Of his labors in Congress Senator Hoar says : " Since 
the year 1864 you cannot think of a question which 
has been debated in Congress, or discussed before a 
tribunel of the American people, in regard to which 
you will not find, if you wish instruction, the argu- 
ment on one side stated, in almost every instance 
better than by anybody else, in some speech made in 
the House of Representatives or on the hustings by 
Mr. Garfield.' 

Uix)n Jan. 14, 1880, Gen. Garfield was elected to 
the U. S. Senate, and on the eighth of June, of the 
same year, was nominated as the candidate of his '---l 
party for President at the great Chicago Convention. -.^-\ 
He was elected in the following November, and on J^H 
March 4, 1881, was inaugurated. Probably no ad- -^i^ 
ministration ever opened its existence under brighter t:^ 
auspices than that of President Garfield, and every 
day it grew in favo.' with the peojjle, and by the first 
of July he had completed all the initiatory and pre- 
liminary work of his administration and was prepar- : ill 
ing to leave the city to meet his friends at Williams ;; n 
College. While on his way and at the depot, in com- ; ]l 
pany with Secretary Blaine, a man stepped behind ;;:v 
him, drew a revolver, and fired directly at his back. 
The President tottered and fell, and as he did so the 
assassin fired a second shot, the bullet cutting the 
left coat sleeve of his victim, but in.licting no further 
injury. It has been very truthfully said that this was 
" the shot that was heard round the world " Never 
Ijefore in the history of the Nation had anything oc- 
curred which so nearly froze the blood of the people 
for the moment, as this awful deed. He was smit- 
ten on the brightest, gladdest day of all his life, and 
was at the summit of his power and hope. For eighty :; 
days, all during the hot months of July and August, 5:,'-j 
he lingered and suffered. He, however, remained :^ t 
master of himself till the last, and by his magnificent ;:t 
bearing was teaching the country and the world the ";^; 
noblest of human lessons — how to live grandly in the j^hj 
very clutch of death. Great in life, he was surpass- c:^| 
ingly great in death. He passed serenely away Sept. EfJ 
19, 1883, at Elheron, N. J , on the very bank of the :;K 
ocean, where he had been taken shortly previous. The j^h 
world wept at his death, as it never had done on the e?tJ 
death of any other man who had ever lived upon it. %\ 
The murderer was duly tried, found guilty and exe- j;h 
cuted, in one year after he committed the foul deed. '-\ 

r. 



% 
i 

;;n. 
::-n. 













"OC^x^. 



r.'JTPT'F'r-; 



''-*i!ii!k3 r^iie^^^ I "- 



eH'r'r'r^PFHH'H.riri 




TWEI^TY-FIRST PRESIDENT. 



90 








"^"'^'"^'^^S^' -"•^-'r^' 






HESTER A. ARTHUR, 
twenty-first Presi'l^m of the 
United States was born in 
Franklin Cour ty, Vermont, on 

rthefifthofOdober, i8^o, and is 
the oldest of a family of two 

• -,j^ sons and five daughters. His 

I father was the Rev. Dr. William 
* Arthur, a Baptist d'-rgy man, who 



emigrated to tl? s coiintr)' from 

\v, the county Ant am, Ireland, in 

y^ his i8th year, and died in 1875, in 

Newtonville, neai Albany, after a 

long and successful ministry. 

Young Arthur was educated at 
Union College, S( henectady, where 
he excelled in all his studies. Af- 
ter his graduation he taught school 
in Vermont for two years, and at 
the expiration cf that time came to 
New York, with $500 in his ix)cket, 
and entered the office of ex-Judge 
E. D. Culver as student. After 
1 being admitted to the bar he formed 
a partnership with his intimate friend and room-mate, 
Henry D. Gardiner, with the intention of practicing 
in the West, and for three months they roamed about 
in the Western States in search of an eligible site, 
but in the end returned to New York, where they 
hung out their shingle, and entered uix)n a success- 
ful career almost from the start. General Arthur 
soon afterward married the daughter of Lieutenant 



II 



Herndon, of the United States Navy, who was lost at 
sea. Congress voted a gold medal to his widow in 
recognition of the bravery he displayed on that occa- 
sion. Mrs. Arthur died shortly before Mr. Arthur's 
nommation to the Vice Presidency, leaving two 
children. 

Gen. Arthur obtained considerable legal celebrity 
in his first great case, the famous Lemmon suit, 
brought to recover possession of eight slaves who had 
been declared free by Judge Paine, of the Superior 
Court of New York City. It was in 1852 that Jon, 
athan Lemmon, of Virginia, went to New York with fiSEil 
his slaves, intending to ship them to Texas, when 
they were discovered and freed. The Judge decided 
that they could not be held by the owner under tht 
Fugitive Slave Law. A howl of rage went up from 
the South, and the Virginia Legislature authorized the 
Attorney (ieneral of that State to assist in an appeal. 
Wm. M. Evarts and Chester A. Arthur were employed 
to represent the People, and they won their case, 
which then went to the Supreme Court of the United 
States. Charles O'Conor here esjxiused the cause 
of the slave-holders, but he too was beaten by Messrs. 
Evarts and Arthur, and a long step was taken toward 
the emancipation of the black race. 

Another great service was rendered by General 
Arthur in the same cause in 1856. Lizzie Jennings, 
a respectable colored woman, was put off a Fourth 
Avenue car with violence after she had paid her fare. 
General Arthur sued on her behalf, and secured a 
verdict of S500 damages. The next day the compa- 
ny issued an order to admit colored persons to ride 
on their cars, and the other car companies quickly 




.inimarmiiijjLjyrTTT»Kggz 



KXiXTn~::n 




laitt-ttXTCSK 



nnr»Ti ii T miJH iii niiiix T> l 



^lil^TTT, 



ixijsmr, 



inmTtjutJjj- 



n-rrrmY » t t T t rr^i 1 1 t rr i T-tm : 



CHESTER A. ARTHUR. 






¥ 



followed their example. Before that the Sixth Ave- 
nue Company ran a few special cars for colored per- 
sons and the other lines refused to let them ride at all. 

General Arthur was a delegate to the Convention 
at Saratoga that founded the Republican party. 
Previous to the war he was Judge -Advocate of the 
Second Brigade of the State of New York, and Gov- 
ernor Morgan, of that State, appointed hnn Engineer- 
in-Chief of his staff. In 1861, he was made Inspec- 
tor General, and soon afterward became Quartermas- 
ter-General. In each of these offices he rendered 
I' great service to the Government during the war. At 
the end of Governor Morgan's term he resumed the 
practice of the law, forming a partnership with Mr. 
Ransom, and then Mr. Phelps, the District Attorney 
of New Yoik, was added to the firm. The legal prac- 
tice of this well-known firm was very large and lucra- 
tive, each of the gentlemen composing it were able 
lawyers, and possessed a splendid local reputation, if 
not indeed one of national extent. 

He always took a leading part in State and city 
ix)litics. He was appointed Collector of the Port of 
New York by President Grant, Nov. 21 1872, to suc- 
ceed Thomas Murphy, and held the office until July, 
20, 1878, when he was succeeded by Collector Merritt. 

Mr. Arthi'.r was nominated on the Presidential 
ticket, with Gen. James A. Garfield, at the famous 
National Republican Convention held at Chicago in 
June, 1880. This was perhaps the greatest political 
convention that ever assembled on thecontinent. It 
., was composed of the leading politicians of the Re- 
hl publican party, all able men, and each stood firm and 
j^\ fought vigorously and with signal tenacity for their 
respective candidates that were before the conven- 
tion for the nomination. Finally Gen. Garfield re- 
ceived the nomination for President and Gen. Arthur 
for Vice-President. The campaign which followed 
■kt was one of the most animated known in the history of 
|| our country. Gen. Hancock, the standard-bearer of 
'^ the Democratic party, was a popular man, and his 
party made a valiant fight for his election. 

Finally the election came and the country's choice 
was Garfield and Arthur. They were inaugurated 
March 4, 1 88 1, as President and Vice-President. 
A few months only had passed ere the newly chosen 
President was the victim of the assassin's bullet. Then 
came terrible weeks of suffering, — those moments of 
anxious suspense, when the hearts of all civilized na- 





tions were throbbmg \\\ unison, longing for the re- ;u 
covery of the noble, the good President. The remark- 5|i 
able patience that he manifested during those hours pi 
and weeks, and even months, of the most terrible suf- ^i 
fering man has often been called upon to endure, was %\ 
seemingly more than human. It was certainly God- ^1 
like. During all this period of deepest anxiety Mr. gfi 
Arthur's every move was watched, and be it said to his %\ 
credit that his every action displayed only an earnest gsj 
desire that the suffering Garfield might recover, to % \ 
serve the remainder of the term he had so auspi- Kf J 
ciously begun. Not a selfish feeling was manifested 5^ } 
in deed or look of this man, even though the most :[{ 
honored position in the world was at any moment |-;} 
likely to fall to him. ;-J 

At last God in his mercy relieved President Gar- aj;] 
field from further suffering, and the world, as never 3|} 
before in. its history over the death of any other 3'^} 
man, wept at his bier. Then it became the duty of %\ 
the Vice President to assume the responsibilities of:;;^ 
the high office, and he took the oath in New York, ::r 
Sept. 20, 1881. The position was an embarrassing ;_;i| 
one to him, made doubly so from the facts that all 3:[t- 
eyes were on him, anxious to know what he would do, ; a; 
what ix)licy he would pursue, and who he would se- ; - 
lect as advisers. The duties of the office had been \ 
greatly neglected during the President's long illness, S,;! 
and many important measures were to be immediately Ssi 
decided by him; and still farther to embarrass him he 31? i 
did not fail to realize under what circumstances he qi?i 
became President, and knew the feelings of many on a-:i 
this point. Under these trying circumstances President 
Arthur took the reins of the Government in his own 



I 

I 
I 



hands; and, as embarrassing as were the condition of sii 
affairs, he happily surprised the nation, acting so '&-\ 
wisely that but few criticised his administration, gji} 
He served the nation well and faithfully, until the 
close of his administration, March 4, 1885, and was :;[ 
a popular candidate before his party for a second :;f 
term. His name was ably presented before the con- : > 
vention at Chicago, and was received with great 'i'^- 
favor, and doubtless but for the personal popularity 
of one of the opposing candidates, he would have. %\ 
been selected as the standard-bearer of his party % 
for another campaign. He retired to private life car- g 
rying with him the best wishes of the American peo- |fi 
pie, whom he had served in a manner satisfactory jsi 
to them and with credit to himself. Siii 





l^y^-tru^^ 




iM^sssla' 






T_i_xenrxri«Mi<itxxinnniui| 



ITT 1 rri I rm X 1 1 X rrrrxx r 



g^ ^^^£,-^j.^^ ^^ ^ 



rJr^r^r^r-'^^r^rJrJr^-p'TT 



TWENTY-SECOND PRESIDENT. 





I*' Jfc.'^!f-'.<^.--''y-'.^fc>' 



;r^<!»^t;^^^^;i^ 



Irox^tt Clex^el^^md* 










*? 



_0522_ 



ooo 



TEPHEN GROVER CLEVE- 
LAND, the twenty- second Pres- 
ident of the United States, was 
born in 1837, in the obscure 
town of Caldwell, Essex Co., 
N. J., and in a little two-and-a- 
half-story white house which is still 
standing, characteristically to mark 
the humble birth-place of one of 
America's great men in striking con- 
trast with the Old World, where all 
men high in office must be high in 
origin and born in the cradle of 
wealth. When the subject of this 
sketch was three years of age, his 
father, who was a Presbyterian min- 
ister, with a large family and a small salary, moved, 
by way of the Hudson River and Erie Canal, to 
Fayetteville, in search of an increased income and a 
larger field of work. Fayetteville was then the most 
straggling of country villages, about five miles from 
Pompey Hill, where Governor Seymour was born. 

At the last mentioned place young Grover com- 
menced going to school in the "good, old-fashioned 
way," and presumably distinguished himself after the 
manner of all village boys, in doing the things he 
ought not to do. Such is the distinguishing trait of 
.ill geniuses and independent thinkers. When he 
arrived at the age of 14 years, he had outgrown the 
capacity of the village school and expressed a most 




emphatic desire to be sent to an academy. To this 
his father decidedly objected. Academies in those 
days cost money; besides, his father wanted him to 
become self-sup[x>rting by the quickest possible 
means, and this at that time in Fayetteville seemed 
to be a position in a country store, where his father 
and the large family on his hands had considerable 
influence. Grover was to be paid $50 for his services 
the first year, and if he proved trustworthy he was to 
receive $100 the second year. Here the lad com- 
menced his career as salesman, and in two years he 
had earned so good a reputation for trustworthiness 
that his employers desired to retain him for an in- 
definite length of time. Otherwise he did not ex- 
hibit as yet any particular " flashes of genius " or 
eccentricities of talent. He was simply a good Boy. 
But instead of remaining with this firm in Fayette- 
ville, he went with the family in their removal to 
Clinton, where he had an opportunity of attending a 
high school. Here he industriously pursued his 
studies until the family removed with him to a point 
on Black River known as the " Holland Patent," a 
village of 500 or 600 people, 15 miles north of Utica, 
N. Y. At this place his father died, after preaching 
but three Sundays. This event broke up the family, 
and Grover set out for New York City to accept, at a 
small salary, the position of " under-teacher " in an 
asylum for the blind. He taught faithfully for two 
years, and although he obtained a good reputation in 
this capacity, he concluded that teaching was not his 



.mm. 



Jill 



^ 



^ 



11, 



1 




■^S^lfeta^' 



icxi3^aii3 





calling for life, and, reversing the traditional order, 
ne left the city to seek his fortune, instead of going 
to a city. He first thought of Cleveland, Ohio, as 
there was some charm in that name for him; but 
before proceeding to that place he went to Buffalo to 
ask the advice of his uncle, Lewis F. Allan, a noted 
stockbreeder of that place. The latter did not 
speak entlnisiastically. " What is it you want to do, 
my boy?" he asked. "Well, sir, I want to study 
law," was the reply. " Good gracious ! " remarked 
the old gentleman ; " do you, indeed ? What ever put 
that into your head? How much money have you 
got?" "Well, sir, to tell the truth, I haven't got 
any. 

After a long consultation, his uncle offered him a 
place temporarily as assistant herd-keeper, at $50 a 
year, waile lie could " look around." One day soon 
afterward he boldly walked into the office of Rogers, 
Bowen & Rogers, of Buffalo, and told them what he 
wanted. A number of young men were already en- 
gaged in the office, but Grover's persistency won, and 
he was finally permitted to come as an office boy and 
have the use of the law library, for the nominal sum 
of $3 or $4 a week. Out of this he had to pay for 
his board and washing. The walk to and from his 
uncle's was a long and rugged one; and, although 
the first winter was a memorably severe one, his 
shoes were out of repair and his overcoat — he had 
none — yet he was nevertheless prompt and regular. 
On the first day of his service here, his senior em- 
ployer threw down a copy of Blackstone before him 
with a bang that made the dust fly, saying "That's 
where they all begin." A titter ran around the little 
circle of clerks and students, as they thought that 
was enough to scare young Grover out of his plans ; 
but in due time he mastered that cumbersome volume. 
Then, as ever afterward, however, Mr. Cleveland 
exhibited a talent for executiveness rather than for 
chasing principles through all their metaphysical 
possibilities. " Let us quit talking and go and do 
it," was practically his motto. 

The first public office to which Mr. Cleveland was 
elected was that of Sheriff of Erie Co., N. Y., in 
which Buffalo is situated; and in such capacity it fell 
to his duty to inflict capital punishment upon two 
criminals. In 1881 he was elected Mayor of the 
City of Buffalo, on the Democratic ticket, with es- 
pecial reference to the bringing about certain reforms 



in the administration of the municipal affairs of that ■ 
city. In this office, as well as that of Sheriff, his ; 
performance of duty has generally been considered • 
fair, with possibly a few exceptions which were fer- \ 
reted out and magnified during the last Presidential ; 
campaign. As a specimen of his plain language in : 
a veto message, we quote fiom one vetoing an iniqui- : 
tous street-cleaning contract: "This is a time for ■ 
plain speech, and my objection to your action shall : 
be plainly staled. I regard it as the culmination of i 
a mos , bare-faced, impudent and shameless scheme i 
to betray the interests of the people and to worse ; 
than squander the people's money." The New York : 
St^n afterward very highly commended Mr. Cleve- ; 
land's administration as Mayor of Buffalo, and there- ] 
upon recommended him for Governor of the Empire 
State. To the latter office he was elected in 1882, 
and his administration of the affairs of State was 
generally satisfactory. The mistakes he made, if 
any, were made very public throughout the nation 
after he was nominated for President of the United 
States. For this high office he was nominated July 
II, 1884, by the National Democratic Convention at 
Chicago, when other competitors were Thomas F. 
Bayard, Roswell P. Flower, Thomas A. Hendricks, 
Beniamin F. Butler, Allen G. Thurman, etc.; and he 
was elected by the people, by a majority of about a 
thousand, over the brilliant and long-tried Repub- 
lican statesman, James G. Blaine. President Cleve- 
land resigned his office as Governor of New York in 
January, 1885, in order to prepare for his duties as 
the Chief Executive of the United States, in which 
capacity his term commenced at noon on the 4th of 
March, 1885. For his Cabinet officers he selected 
the following gentlemen: For Secretary of State, 
Thomas F. Bayard, of Delaware ; Secretary of the 
Treasury, Daniel Manning, of New York ; Secretary 
of War, William C. Endicott, of Massachusetts ; 
Secretary of the Navy, William C. Whitney, of New 
York; Secretary of the Interior, L. Q. C. Lamar, of 
Mississippi; Postmaster-General, William F. Vilas, 
of Wisconsin ; .\ttorney-General, A. H. Garland, of 
Arkansas. 

The silver question precipitated a controversy be- 
tween those who were in favor of the continuance of 
silver coinage and those who were opposed, Mr. 
Cleveland answering for the latter, even before his^ 
inauguration. 




-iiii iiic g*u: 








tHHHZSa 













iirmiiiiiimra 




tt^xm 



ifc- 



dip mi-rxiij i 





Bii 



Et 



lin 



%, mxp!" 




L. 



i^ 



l/^r'rlrl'r'M 



GOVERNORS OF IOWA. 




)$^<5XGVVi 



^^=^^^«e^/^l)<5;c<:c?y 




OCTO 



oOo 



XSKL BRIGGS, the first 

oviitk'inan chosen to fill the 

*r aiibeniatorial chair of Iowa 

fl after its organization as a 

State, was a native of \'er- 

"*^ mont. and was burn Feb. 3, 

js \f<()6. His parents, who likewise 



were New Englanilers, were'Ben- 
janiiii and Electa Briggs. The 
boyhood of 'our subject was 
lassed in his native State, and in at- 
tendance iii)on the common schools 
he received a fair education which 
was subsequentlj- improved by a 
term at Norwich Academy. Wlien 
a young man he removed with his 
parents to Cambridge. Guernsey Co.. Ohio, where 
young Briggs engaged in the work of esUiblishing 
-lage lines. He also liere emViarked in political 
iiftairs ami as a Whig run for the ottic.e of County 
Auditoi luit was defeated by John Ferguson, a 
.la<-k>on Democrat.' 

After remaining in Oliio for si.x years, the glow- 
i ing accounts of the fair fields and the fertile prairies 
(if the Territory of Iowa, led him westward across 
the Katiier of Waters. He had previously united 
hi> fortune^ in life with Nancj' M. Dunlap, daugh- 
u-r of .Major Dunlap. an officer in the Warof 1S12. 
Kvcn prior to tiiis marriage lie iiad chosen a wife. 
.1 lady who was born on the same day and year as 
liimself. but of whom lie was soon bereft. He 
brought with him to Iowa his little fainil3' and lo- 
cated at Andrew, in .lackson County. Seeing the 




opportunity here for resuming his former business, 
he began opening up stage lines, frequentlj' driving 
the old stage coach himself. He made several con- 
tracts with the Postottice Department for cari-ying 
the United States mails weekly between Dubufpie 
and Davenport, Dnliucpie and Iowa City and other 
routes, thus opening up and cariying on a very im- 
portant enterprise. Politically, Gov. Briggs was a 
Democrat, and on coming to Iowa identified him- 
self with tliat party. In 1842 he was cliosen a 
member of the Territorial House of Representatives 
from .Jackson County, and subsequently' was elected 
Sheriff of the same county. He had taken a lead- 
ing part in public affairs, and upon the formation of 
the State Government in 1840, he became a prom- 
inent candidate f<jr Governor, and though his com- 
petitors in his own party were distinguished and 
well-known citizens, Mr. Briggs received the nom- 
ination. The convention was held in Iowa Citj", 
on Thursday, Sept. 24, 184C. and .issembled to 
nominate Stiite officers and two Congressmen. It 
was called to order by F. D. .Mills, of Des Moines 
County. William Thompson, of Henry County, 
presided, and J. T. Fales, of Dulmque, was Secre- 
taiy. The vote for Governor in the convention 
stood: Briggs, si.xty-two; Jesse Williams, thirty- 
two, and William Thompson, tliirty-one. The two 
latter withdrew, and Briggs was then chonen by ac- 
dam.ation. Elisha Cutler, Jr., of ^'an Buien Coun- 
ty, was nominated for Secretary of State; Joseph 
T. Fales. of Linn, for Auditor, and Morgan Reno, 
of Johnson, for Treasurer. S. C. Hastings and 
Sheperd Lefller were nominated for Congress. The 



II 



1:1 




„-?«?. 









112 



ANSEL BRIGGS. 



electinii w.is held Dot. 2><. 1S46. the entire Demo- 
eratir ticket being successful. Briggs received 
7.f>-2t'< votes and his competitor, Thomas McKnight, 
the Wliig candidate. 7,-379. giving Briggs a major- 
ity of 247. 

The princiiwl ((uestion between the two leading 
parties, the Democratic and the "Whig, at this period, 
was that of the hanking system. It is related that 
I sliort time |)rior to the meeting of the eonven- 
;ion which nominated Mr. Briggs, that in offering 
I toast at a banquet, he struck the key-note which 
made him the popular man of the hour. He said, 
"No l)anlv.* l)nt earth and they well tilled." This 
w.TS at once caught up liy his party and it did more 
to secure him the nomination than anything else. 
His administmtion was one void of any special in- 
terest. He lalxircd iu harmonious accord with his 
party, yet frequently exhiliited an independence of 
principle, characteristic of his nature. The Mis- 
souri boundary question which caused a great deal 
of excited controver.sy at this period, and even a 
determination to resort to .arms, was handled by 
him witli great ability. 

On Ids election as Executive of the State, Gov. 
Briggs sold out his mail contract, but after the ex- 
piration of his term of service he continued his 
residence in Jackson Country. In 1870 he removed 
to Council Bluffs. He had visited the western 
part of the .State liefore the day of railroads in that 
section, making the trip by carriage. On the occa- 
sion he enrolled himself as one of the founders of 
the town of Florence on the Nebraska side, of the 
I'iver and six miles above Council Bluffs, and which 
for a time was a vigorous rival of Omaha. Dur- 
ing the mining excitement, in I860, he made a trip 
to Colorado, and three years later, in company 
with his son John and a large part}', went to 
Montana, where he remained until the year 



18(;.T, when he returned to hi> home in Iowa. 

As above stated. Gov. Briggs was twice mari-ied, 
his first wife being his comp.anion for a brief time 
only. His second wife Ijore him eight children, all 
of whom died in infancy save two, ami of these lat- 
ter. Ansel, Jr., died May 15, 1 8(;7, aged twenty- 
five years. John .S. Briggs, the only survivor of 
the family, iseditf)r of the Malm JIi^ntliL pul)li>hed 
at Blackfoot, Idaho Territory. .Mrs. Briggs died 
Dec. 30, 1847. while her hnsliand was (iovernor of 
the State. She was a devoted Christian lady, a 
strict member of the Presb^'tcrian Church, and a 
woman of strong domestic tastes. She was highly 
educated, and endowed liy nature with that 
womanly tact and grace which enabled her to adorn 
the high position her husbaml liad attainiMl. 
She dispensed a liounteous hospitality, though her 
home w.as in a log house, .and was highly esteemed 
and admired by all who met her. 

(tov. Briggs went in and out among his people 
for uiauy j-ears after his retirement from the execu- 
tive office, and even after his return from the Mon 
tana expedition. He was admired foi- his al)le 
services rendered so unselfishly during the jiioneer 
period of the now great and populous State. His 
Last illness, ulceration of the stomach, was of brief 
duriition, lasting only five weeks, indeed only three 
d.ays liefore his death he was able to be out. IIi> 
demise occurred at the residence of his son, John 
S. Briggs. in Omaha, Neb., at half-past three of the 
morning of May .5. 1881. His death was greatly 
mourned all over the State. Upon the following 
d.ay. Gov. Gear issued a proclamation reciting his 
services to the State, ordering half-hour guns to be 
fired and the national flag on the State capitol to 
be put at half-mast during the day upon which 
the funeral was held, which was the following Sun- 
day succeeding his death. 



■ ^ B 

M 

3;: I 
5 = 1 



a;:l 

: 1 

: 1 
: 1 

5 I 



3'. 
3--; 

3! I 

3i;i 

■"■n 



u 



U 



if! 







a-sssHia 



rSHr'r'r^H 



iir, ,,,,,,,,,, (jj^ 




GOVERNORS OF IOWA. 



Hi 





itgpAen 



:-8-^ 





-'-':^'>^VHkt5<-*=-^^ 




IKPHEX HEMPSTEAD, sec- 
ond Governor of Iowa, is a 
native of Connecticut, wliere, 
Mt New London, he was born 
Oct. 1, 1812. He resided in 
that State with liis parents 
until 1H2.S, when the family 
came West, locating upi^n a farm 
near Saint L(juis. This was the 
home of 3"oung Stephen until 1 830, 
when he went to Galena. 111., where 
he served in the capacity of a clerk 
in a commission house for a time. 
He was there during the exciting 
period of the IJlack Hawk troubles, 
and was an otticer in an artillery 
conii)any which had been organized for the protec- 
tion of (ialena. .\fter the defeat of Black Hawk 
and the consequent termination of Indian troubles, 
he entered the Illinois College at .Jacksonville, 
where he remained for about two years. On ac- 
count of difficulties which he got into about 
.-.ectJirianism and abolitifinism, he left the college 
an<l returneil to Missouri. He shortly afterward 
entered the office of Charles S. Hempstead, a prom- 
inent lawyer of Galena, and began the study of the 
profession iu which he afterward became quite pro- 



ficient. In 1836 he was admitted to practice in all 
the courts of the Territory of Wisconsin, which at 
the time embraced the Ten-itory of Iowa, and the 
same year located at Dubuque, beuig the first law- 
3-er who began the practice of his profession at that 
place. 

As might be expected in a territory but thinly 
populated, but one which was rapidly settling up, 
the services of an able attorney' would be in de- 
mand in order to draft the laws. Upon the organ- 
ization of the Territorial Government of Iowa in 
1838, he was, with Gen. Warner Lewis, elected to 
represent the northern portion of the Territorj- in 
the Legislative Council, which assembled in Bui-- 
lington that 3'ear. He was Chairman of the Com- 
mittee Judiciarj', and at the second session of that 
bod}- was elected its President. He was again 
elected a member of the Council, in 1845. over 
which he also presided. In 1844 he was elected 
one of the delegates of Dubuque C(nint3', tov the 
first convention to frame a constitution for the 
State. In 1848, in company with .Judge Cnarles 
Mason and W. G. Woodward, he was appointed 
b}- the Legislature Commissioner to revise the laws 
of the State, which revision, with a few amend* 
ments, was adopted as the code of Iowa in 1851. 

lu 1850 Mr. Hempstead was elected Governor of 



IT^^iSi^ i 



[I 



I! 






SQ^, 



n 



m 




JUH_ 116 




STEPHEN HEMPSTEAD. 



Sin 



= :r-fii 



the State, and .served witli Mliility fur f'lur years, 
that l)eing the full term under the Constitution at 
the time. He received 13,4S(; votes against 11.- 
403 cast fur his (ijujonent. James L. Thompson. 
After the vote had been canvassed a committee 
wa.s appointed t(i inform the (iovernor-elect that 
the two Houses of the Legislature were ready to re- 
ceive him ill joint convention, in order that he 
might receive the oath prescribed by the Constitu- 
tion, (iov. Hempstead, accomjjanied by the retir- 
ing Exeeutive.Gov. Briggs, the Judges of the Su- 
preme Court and the otticers of State, entered the 
hall c>f the House where the Governor-elect deliv- 
ered his inaugural message, after which the oath 
was administered liy the Chief Justice of the Su- 
preme Court. This was an imitortant period in the 
history of the State, lieing at a time when the pu))- 
lic affairs were a.ssuming definite shape, and indeed 
it was what might be termed the formative period. 
The session of the Legislature passed many ini])oi't- 
ant acts which were approved by the Governor, and 
during his term there were fifty-two new counties 
formed, (iov. Hempstead in his message to the 
Fourth General Assembly in December, 1852, 
ju stated that amung othei' things, the population of 
" the State according to the Federal census was 192,- 
214, and that the .State census showed an increase 
for one year of .'!7,78(). He al.so stated that there- 
sources of the State for the coming two yeai's 
jjg^ -wouhl be surticient to cancel all that part of funded 
( debt which was payalile at its option. 

Among the numerous counties organized was one 
named Buncombe, which received its name in the 
following way: The Legislature was composed of a 
large majority favoring stringent corporation laws 
and tin' lialiility of individual stockholders for cor- 
parate debts. This sentiment, on account of the 
agitation of railroad enterprises then l)eing inaugu- 
rated, brought a large number of prominent men 
to the caiiital. To have an effect upon the Legis- 
lature, they organized a "lobby Legislature" and 
eh'cted as (Jovernor, Verplank Van Antwerp, who 
delivered to the self-constituted body a lengthy 
message in which he sharply criticized the regular 
General Assembly. Some of the members of the 
latter were in the lialiit of making long and useful 
speeches much to the hiudrauce of business. To 






u 



Dili 



pa 




these he es[>ecially referred, charging tlieiii with ; t 

speaking for •' Buncombe," and recommended that gf 

as a la.sting memorial a county should be called liy J 

that name. This suggestion was readily seized on "^i 

by the Legislature, and the countv of Buncombe a! ^ 

Sfcfl 
was created with few di.sseiitin 



g voices. 



However, ;l } 



the General Assemblv. in 1S(!l'. chan"vd the name ;-0l 
to Lyon, in honor of Gen. Nathaniel Lyon who was HC- 
killed in the early part of the Civil War. H.| 

The season of \H^>\ was one of great disappoint- pi 
ment to the pioneers of Iowa, and much suffering ;||] 
was the result of the bad season of that yeai'. By ~ Oj 
the year 1854, the State had fully recovered from ; J- 
the depression thus produced, and that year as well 3;[ 

I as the following, the emigration from the East was b"- 
uni)recedented. The [dairies of Illinois were lined a,; 
day after dav with a continuous caravan of emi- ;?} 
grants pushing on toward Iowa. During a single ;:} 

I month 1743 wagons liound for Iowa pa.-^sed through 3f| 
Peoria. St> remarkalile had been the influx of peo- 
ple into the .State, that in an issue of the Burling- 
ton Telegraph appeared the f(jllowiiig statement : 
"Twenty thousand emigrants have passed through 
the city within the last thirty days, and they are 
still crossing the Mississippi at the rate of (JDO a day." 
At the expiration of his term of .service, which 
occurred in the latter part of the year 18.')4. Gov. 



:l 

"I 
1 



Hempstead returned to his old home at Dubuque. : 
In 18.");j he w.as elected County Judge of Dubu(|iie l'^^ 
County, and so .acceptalily did he serve the peo|ile ;;& 
that for twelve years he was chosen to till that posi- : ttj 
tion. Under his administration the principal ^\ 
county building, including the jail. |)(n>rhouse, as S^J; 
well as some valuable bridges, were erected, si} 
Gwing to ill-health he was compelled to retire from J:} 

1 




public life, [lassing the remainder of his days in * 

quietude and repose at Dubuque. There 

until Feb. 10, 1)S83. when, at his home, the light of ~; 

his long and eventful life went out. The record ;|i 

he has made, which was an honorable and <li>tiu- ;i^v 

guished one. was closed, and Iowa wa,'^ called upon 

to mourn the loss of one of her most distingui-lied ; 

pioneer citizens. He had been an unusually useful ~1\ 

man of the .State and his services, which were able Jii 

and wise, were reixlered in that unseltish spirit i]\ 

H^ i 
which distinguished so many of the early residents ;h 

of this now prosperous State. ii \ 

_____ " 3l;l. 



li 







-, linn -t rMajgiinjj ._ ^, .... . ..^ 











M::-m^^.^ 



'^^^^^JTO))'!'' -t -t- ■t«.tg.t >.t»1b»feT..fc A..t.- A.I. -t.-T.-.T. ■■r..t., A^;r■^^■T>»t^.t■>t■^i.%jfej^^v■t■-■^f■-A■i■- A..-". A ■■■ -Y-.f- -t. -f..Aj. .-;-.,.t .t. .Y. ,.r. -J:': j^ - '""^ ' » 





AMKS AV. GRIMES, the 

third geiitk'iiiaii tu till the 
Kxecutive Chair of the State 
uf Iowa, was horn in the 
town of Deeriiig. Hilhsbur- 
oiigh Co., N. H., Oct. 20, 
isKi. His pai-ents, John and 
Kli7.al)eth (Wilson) Grimes, were 
also natives of the same town. 
\s 'Hu' former was liorn on liic 1 1 Ih 
of August. 177'i. and tlic mother 
March IH. 177."!. They liecame the 
|iarents of eigiit children, of whom 
•lamo was the yoiingc.~t and lie- 
came one of the most distingnisiie<l 
citi/.cn> of lo'.va. He attended the 
district schools, and in eaily liiildiiood evinced an 
unusual taste for le.irning. l>e>ides .attending the 
district schools, tiii' village jiastor instructed iiim 
in (irceU ami Latin. After comiilcting his prepar- 
ations for college, which lu' did at Hampton Acad- 
emy, he entered Dartmouth College, in August, 
l.s.>2. wliich was in the si.xteenth year of his age. 
He was a hard student, advanced ra])idly. .ind in 
Felirnary, 188;), hid atlieu to the college halls, .and 
with .lames Walker, of Peterborough. .\. II., he lie- 
gan the study of his chosen profession. 



Feeling-that his native State afforded too limited 
advantages, and, in fact, being of a rather advent- 
urous disposition, as well as .ambitious, he desired 
I broailer fields in which to carve for himself a fort- 
( une. He accordingly left the home that had 
sheltered him during his boyhood days, and turn- 
ing his face Westward proceeded until he had 
crossed the great Father of A\'aters. It was in 
l.s;5(), and young Grimes was in<Ieed y(jung to thus 
take upon himself such res])onsil)ilities: but pos- 
sessing business tact, determination and tenacity, 
as well .as an excellent professional tr.aining. he de- 
termined to open an office in the then new tt)wn of 
Hurlington. Iowa. Here he hung out his shingle, 
and ere long had established a reputation which 
extended f.ar beyimd the confines of the little citj-. 
In Ai)ril, 1837, he was appointed City Solicitor, 
and entering upon the duties of that office he 
assisted in drawing up the first police laws of that 
town. In is.is he wa- :ipi)ointed .Justice of the 
Peace, and became a l:i\v partner of William W. 
Chapman. Inited States District Attorney for 
Wiscctnsin Territory. Jn the early jiart of the year 
ISll he fcn-mcd a i)artnership with Henry W. Starr, 
Ks(|.. which continual twelve years. Tliis firm 
stood .at the head of the legal professi(jn in Iowa. 
Mr. Grmies was widely known as a counselor with 



IP 



PI 

mi 



^ ■ Ti -lint «riiiijrrxTcrxrTirin 
- u mi Kxxrri xxxi Oi'rri i tx 




gJlt^f 1 ^m I ij 








HsaPB 



„M 120 



'S3. 



TTTT'y*^"*^^; 



3 IrTTryi^f ^i^y y 



I Ir nmnini Txrr mi-uii T i TT 




Koa 

•tlM.LU, . 



xixin ijajirxixixiixxxxixxjzi-i- 



rirtirrmrmrrrTTiTnTnirt-i- 



JAMES W. GRIIMES. 



superior knowledge of the law, anrl with a clear 
sense of truth nnd justice. He was chosen one of 
the Repre>fnt:itives of Des Moines Count}' in the 
first I^eoislative Assembly of the Territory of Iowa, 
which convened at Burlington, Nov. 12, 1838; in 
the sixth, at Iowa City, Dec. 4, 1843; and in the 
fourth General Assembly of the State, at Iowa City, 
Dec. 6, 18;")2. He early took front rank among the 
public men uf Iowa. He was Chairman of the 
Judiciary Committee in tlie House of Representa- 
tives of the first Legislative Assembly of the Ter- 
ritory, and MJi laws for the new Territory passed 
through Ills liands. 

Mr. Orinies liad liecome prominently identified 
witli tlic \\'liig party, and being distinguished as an 
alilc hiwyer. as well as a fair-minded, conscientious 
man, he was a prominent candidate for (ifivernor 
before tlic couvi'ution which met in February', 1854. 
It was tlie largest convention of that party ever 

rfrr held in Iowa and tlie last. He was chosen as a nom- 
U inee for (lovernor. was duly elected, and in Decem- 
ber, 1804. assumed the duties of the office. Shortly 
after his election it was [iroposed that he should go 
to the United States Senate, but he gave his ad- 
mirers to understand that he was determined to fill 
the term of office for which he had been chosen. 
This he did, serving the full term to the entire sat- 
isfaction of all (wrties. He was a faithful ])arty 
leader, and so aljle were his services that, while at 
the time of his election as (lovernor Democracy 
ji- reigned supreme in the State and its representatives 
Q in Congress were allied to the slave power, he 
j|| turned the State over to the Republican party. 

His term of office expired Jan. 14, 1858, when 
he retired from the Executive Chair, only, how- 
ever, to assume the responsibilities of a United 
States Senator. Upon the 4th of March of the fol- 
lowing year he took his seat in the Senate and was 
placed upon the Committee on Naval Affairs, upon 



1 



a 



D:^:'i! 



;:a| 




i\\ wiiich he remained during his Senatorial career, 

J;} serving as Chairman of that important committee 

:^j^t- from December. lH(i4. .Ian. IG. 1864. Mr. Grimes 
Umk: ^r,,^ ;,o;)in chosen to represent Iowa in the Senate 
of the United States, receiving all but six of tlie 
votes of tlie (ieneral Asseinblj' in joint convention. 
His counsel was often sought in matters of great 
moment, and in cases of peculiar difficulty. Al- 



ways ready to firomote the welfare of the State, he 
gave, unsolicited, land worth §6.0(;)(l to the Congre- 
gational College, at Grinnell. It constitutes the 
" Grimes foundation," and '• is to be applied to the 
establishment and maintenance in Iowa College, 
forever, of four scholarships, to Ite awarded b\- the 
Trustees, on the recommendation of the faculty, to 
the best scholars, and the most promising, in any 
department, who may need and seek such aid. and 
without any regard to the religious tenets or opin- 
ions entertained by any person seeking either of 
said scholarships." These terms were imposed liy 
Mr. Grimes, and assumed July 20, 18G5. bj' the 
Trustees. He received the honorary degree of 
LL.D. in 18G5 from Dartmouth College, and also 
from Iowa College. He also aided in founding a 
public library in Burlington, donating §5,0(10, which 
was expended in the purchase of costly books, and 
subsequently sent from Europe 25G volumes in the 
(German language, and also contributed GOO vol- 
umes of public documents. 

In J.anuary, 18G9, he made a donation of $5,000 
to Dartmouth College, and ^1. (Kioto the " Soci:d 
Friend," a literaiy society of which he was a mcm- 
l)er when in college. 

His health failing. Mr. Grimes sailed for Europe, 
April 14, 1869, remaining abroad two years, 
reaching home Sept. 22, 1871, apparently in im- 
proved health and spirits. In November he cele- 
brated his silver wedding, and spent the closing 
months of his life wMth his family. He voted at 
the city election, Feb. 5. 1872. and was suddenly 
attacked with severe pains in the region of the 
heart, and died after a few short hours of intense 
suffering. 

Senator Grimes was united in marriage at Bur- 
lington, la., Nov. 9, 1846. with Miss Sarah Elizabeth 
Neally. Mr. Grimes stood in the foremost ranks 
among the men of his time, not only in the State 
but f)f the nation. The young attorney who left 
the granite hills of New Hampshire for the fertile 
prairies of the West, distinguished himself both as 
an attorney and a statesman. His personal history 
is so inseparably interwoven in that of the history 
of the State that a sketch of his life is indeed but a 
record of the history of his adopted State during 
the years of his manhood and vigor. 



- 11 

;"i 
;;i 

El 

m 

::h 
---1 

"5 

i\ 
i-\ 

i 

i 



m 

it 
m 

- .i\ 
::i-i 
:;a 

■ \\ 



'■-"^~ 



'M- 




/?. {^^^-..OL^ 



a tHHHaSHJ ^ . 



(Hdrlclsi^O 



I r'r'i-'r'r'r'r'rir'r^r^g 
HiHHHr'r-'r'r'r'r'r'r'. 




OOVERXORS OF IOWA. 




®>'<5XG)<^f< 



ri 









123 




""♦o-@V^v®- 



^_4-> 5^ Governor 




,ALPH P. LOWE, the fourth 
>f the State of 
Iowa, was born in Ohio in 
the year hsOK, and like many 
other?; of the distinguished 
men of lowii. eame within her 
liiirders in early pioneer 
times. He was a young' man 
lint a little over thirty j'ears 
age when he erossed tlie great 
Father of Waters, settling upon its 
western bank at the then small vill- 
age of IMuseatine. lie at once 
identified liimself with the interests 
of the growing city, and ere long 
became quite [irominent in local 
affairs and of recognized aliilit}' in 
i|Mestions of public policy. He was shortly after- 
ward chosen as a representative frtmi iSIuscntine 
County to the Constitutional Convention of 1844, 
wiiich framed the Constitution which was rejected 
by tlie peo|(le. 

.Vfter tbi> constitutional convention, ^Ir. Lowe 
look no further part in public nuitters for a num- 
lier of years. lie removed to Lee Connt^ about 
1S4;) or '.")<). where he became District .ludge as a 
successor to (ieoige II. Williams, who was after- 
ward famous as President (irant's Allorney (ien- 
cral. He was District Judge five years, from 1!S.")2 
to 1H.57, being snc<'eeded by .ludgc Cl;iggett. In 
the smumer of l.s.")7 he was nominated by the Re- 
publicans for (Tovemor of Iowa, with Orau Faville 
lor Lieutenant-Governor. The Democracy put in 



the field Benjamin M. Samuels for Governt>r and 
George GiUaspj' for Lieutenaut-(jovernor. There 
was a third ticket in the field, supported by the 
American or •'Know-Nothing" iiarty, and liearing 
the names of T. F. Henrj' and Easton Morris. 
The election was held in October, IKoT, and gave 
Mr. Lowe 38,4y8 votes, against .'SOjOSS for Mr. 
Samuels, and 1,006 for Mr. Henry. 

Hitherto the term of office had been four years, 
but by an amendment to the Constitution this was 
now reduced to two. (Jov. Lowe was inaug- 
urated Jan. 14, 1858, and at once sent his first 
message to the Legislature. Among the measures 
passed bj- this Legislature were bills to incorporate 
the State Bank of Iowa; to provide for an agricult- 
ural college; to authorize the business of banking; 
disix)sing of the land grant made by Congress to 
the Des Moines \'allev Railroad; to provide for 
the erection of an institution for the education of 
the blind, and to provide for taking a State census. 

No events of importance occurred during the 
administration of (Jov. Lowe, but it was not a 
period of uninterrupted prosperity. The Governor 
Siiid in his biennial mes.sige of Jan. 10, 1860, 
reviewing the preceeding two j'ears: "The period 
that has elai)sed since the last biennial session has 
been one of great disturbing causes, and of anxious 
solicitude to all classes of our fellow-citizens. The 
first year of this period was visited « illi heavy and 
continuous rains, which ri-duced the measure of 
oiu' field crops below one-half of the usual jH'oduct. 
whilst the financial revnlsiim which commenced 
upon the Atlantic coast in the autumn of 1857, did 



%J 



M. 

II, 



II 



« 



fi^jja, 






11 

m 
It 



m 



m 



not reach its climax fur evil in our borders until 
the year just past." 

He referred at length to llie claim of the .State 
au-ainst the Federal (Tovernment, and said that he 
iiad appealed in vain to the Secretary of the Inte- 
rior for the payment of the o per cent upon the 
military land warrants that tiie State is justly en- 
titled to, which then approximated to a million of 
dollars. The payment of this fund, he said, "is 
not a mere favor which is asked of the General 
Govei-nment, but a subsisting right which could be 
enforced in a court of justice, were there a tribunal 
of this kind clothed with the requisite jurisdiction." 

Tlie subject of the Des Moines River grant re- 
ceived from the (iovernor special attention, and he 
ga\e a history of the operations of the State author- 
ities in reference to obtaining the residue of the 
lands to which the State was entitled, and other in- 
formation as to the progress of the work. lie also 
remarked " that under the act authorizing the Gov- 
ernor to raise a eompan}' of mounted men for de- 
fense and protection of our frontier, approved 
Feb. 9, 18i)8, a company of thirty such men, known 
as the F'rontier Guards, armed and equipped as re- 
quired, were organized and mustered into service 
under the command of Capt. Henry B. Martin, of 
Webster City, about the 1st of March then follow- 
ing, and were divided into two companies, one 
.stationed on the Little Sit>ux River, the other at 
Spirit Lake. Their presence afforded security and 
gave quiet to the settlements in that region, and 
after a service of four months they were disbanded. 

" Late in the fall of the year, however, gi-eat 



alarm and consternation was again felt in the 
region of Spirit Lake and Sioux River settlements, 
produced by the appearance of large numbers of 
Indians on the border, whose bearing was insolent 
and menacing, and who were charged with clan- 
destinely running off the stock of the settlers. 
The most urgent appeals came from these settlers, 
invoking again the protection of the State. From 
representations made of the imminence of their 
danger and the losses ah'eady sustained, the (iov- 
ernor summoned into the field once more the 
frontier guards. After a service of four or five 
months they were again discharged, and paid in the 
manner prescribed in the act under which they were 
called out." 

Gov. Lowe was beaten for the renominalion 
by Hon. S. J. Ku-kwood, who was considered 
much the stronger man. To compensate him for 
his defeat for the second term. Gov. Lo^^■(■ 
was appointed one of the three Judges under the 
new Constitution. He drew the short term, which 
expired in 1861, but was returned and served, all 
told, eight years. He then returned to the jirac- 
tice of law, gradually working into a claim busi- 
ness at "Washington, to which city he removed 
about 1874. In that city he died, on Saturday, 
Dec. 22, 1883. He had a large family. Carleton, 
one of his sons, was an officer in the Third Iowa 
Cavalry during the war. 

Gov. Lowe was a man of detail, accurate and 
industrious. In private and public life he was 
pure, upright and honest. In religious faith he 
was inclined to be a Spiritualist. 





:4n 



P 



M 



i 

■-ill 

I 

i 

i 

i 

i 

I 



S-:i 
El 
: = i 
:-i 
;ii 

li 



'^HHr'fl PiHHr'r'Vl 



tXZZXXXCtXXl ' 
i irinrrri rFi 1 1 



Ji 



Sl^ T'Pl^ ^ Zjdxi.r'r^,^ ^ .c' 



!<g^^^^^^^Vl^^^^ 



G0M5RN0RS OF IOWA. 



^yiv^^u^;S"HK^yi^^"^;,^^^*!C^ 





'"'" A *"'"""* A '^'''' tfh '""'•' A '"^"'"' Jh '"^'^'' rit) '^'"" 








iiv^^^^^iS" ^"^y i^^^^:*^^ 



■«*~»iC- 



♦ >*< ♦ 



— JK-~» 



UK (iftli (Toverniir of Iowa 
was SaiiHR'l .1. KiikwDiiil. 
He was lioni in llaitford 
Cnuiity, M(I..<iii his father's 
farm, Dec. 20. I8I0. His 
fatiier was twice married, 
first til a hidy named CKulson, 
wiio became tiie mother of two 
sons. iVfter the death of this 
companion, the elder Kirkwood 
was united in marriage witli 
Mary Alexander, who bore him 
three children, all of whom were 
sons. Of this little family Samuel 
was the youngest, and when ten 
years of age was sent to Washington City to at- 
tend a school taught liy John ^[(dyCod, a iclative of 
the famil)'. Here he remained for four years, giv- 
ing diligent attention to his studies, at the close of 
which time he entered a drug stoie at Washington 
as clerk. In this ca|)acity he continued with the 
exception of eighteen months, until he reached his 
majority. During the interval referred to. young 
Kirkwood was living the life of a pedagogue in 
York County. Pa. 

In the year Is;),'). Samuel quit W.ashingtou and 
came westward to Richland County, Ohio. His 
father and brother had preceded him from Mary- 
land, locating upon a timliereil farm in the liuckeye 
state. Here Samuel lent them valuable assistance 
in clearing the farm. He was ambitions to enter 
the legal profession, and in the year 1841, an oppor- 



tunity was afforded him to enter (he oflice of 
Thomas W. Hartley, afterward Oovernor of Ohio. 
The following two years he gave diligent applica- 
tion to his books, and in 1.S4;1 was admitted to 
practice by the Supreme Court of Ohio. He was 
then fortunate enough to form an association in 
the practice of his profession with lii> former pre- 
ceptor, which relations contiiuied for eigiit years. 

From 184.") to 1.S41I he served as Prosecuting 
Attorney of his county. In 1S4'.» he was elected 
as a Democrat to rc[)reseut his county and district 
in the Constitutional Convention. In l!^.")! .Mr. 
Bartley. his partner, having lieen elected to the 
Supreme .Judiciary of the .State. Kirkwood formed 
a i)artnershii) with liarnalias Barns, witii whom lie 
continiu^d to practice until the spring of 185.T. 
when he removed to the West. 

Up to l8o4 Mr. Kirkwood h:id acted with tiie 
Democratic party. But the nu'.-isures proposed and 
sustained that year by the Democracy in Congress, 
concentrated in what was known as the Kansas- 
Nebraska Act. drove him with hosts of anti-slavery 
Democrats out of the [larty. He was besought liy 
the opposition in the "Richland District" to be- 
come their candidate for Congress, but declined. 
In IS.').") he eanu^ to Iowa and settled two miles 
northwest of Iowa Citj', entering into a partnership 
with his i)rother-in-law, Ezekiel Clark, in the mill- 
ing l)usincss. and kept aloof from public affairs. 
He could not long conceal his record and abilities 
from his neighbors, however, and in ISoO he was 
elected to the State Senate from the district com- 



11 



M 



■\fmm] 



,mM 



W^ 



M 



■' mi 



JHwwHliwiiimii ; Q ; 



" lEfldilJp nria rrzxnEurrnixrnxninaci 



mrtirfi rrrTrnr^pEa ixi rkn 



Uirhqiriirii 

1^ 1 




28 



ijnimmTTTrTXTiiiiTmrm I 

SAMUKL J. KIRKWOOn. 



If I T r rrxl fiT II I frri frfrxr firi I i 






3-;i 






mm 



posed of the counties; of Iowa and .Tohiisoii, and 
served in the last session of the Legislature held at 
Iowa City and the first one held at Des ^loines. 

In I.S.»i) Mr. Kirkwood was made the standard- 
hearer of the Repuhlieans of Iowa, and though he 
had as alih' ami pdiudar a eonipetitor as (ien. A. 
V. Dodge, he was elected (ioveruor of Iowa liy a 
majority of over ;!.0()(l. He was inaugurated Jan. 
11, IsCid. llrfore the ex|)iratiou of his fii'st term 
eanie the great t ivil ^Var. As (iovernor, during 
the darkest (hiys of the Rebellion, he performed an 
exeeedingh" iiuiioitant duty. He seeure(l a prompt 
resjionse hy volimteers to all requisitions by the 
Federal Coxerninent on the State for troops, so 
that during his ( Jovernorshii) no "draft" took 
place in Iowa, and no regiment, except the first, 
enlisted for less than three years. At the same 
time he maintained the .State's financial credit. 
The Legislatiu'e, at its extra session in l.S(il, 
authorized the sale of *.S()0,000 in Ijonds. to assist 
in arming and ecpnpjiing troops. So frugally wa.s 
this work done, that but ^t^oOK.OOO of the bonds 
were sold, and the remaining ^.300,000 not having 
lieen re(piired. the lioiiiU repre.senting this amount 
were destroyed liy order of the succeeding Legis- 
lature. 

In October, l.s(;i,(;ov. Kirkwood was, with com- 
paratively little op|)osition, re-elected — an honor 
accorded for the first time in the history of the 
State. His majority was al.iout Ls.Odll. During 
his second term he was appointed liy President 
Lincoln to lie ^linister to Deiunark, but he declined 
to enter ui)on his di|ilomatic duties until the expir- 
ation of his term as (iovernor. The position was 
kept open for him until that time. but. when it 
canu-. pressing private liusiness comi)ell<'d a dccliu- 
ation <if the otHce altogether. 

In .T.inuary. 1S6(5, he was a prominent candidate 
before the Legislature for I'nited Mates Senator. 
.Senator Harlan had resigned the Senat<_irsliii) upon 



his ajipointment to the oftice of Secretary of the 3 
Interior by President Lincoln, just before his |;l 
death, but h;id withdrawn from the cabinet soon 



ifter the accession of Mr. Johns 



to the Presi- 



3;; I 

Kt 

dency. In this way it happened that the Legisla- 3j; } 



ture had two terms of I'nited States Senator to fill, 
a short term of two years, to fill Harlan's unexpired 



3. I 

3::i 
SHtl 



term, and a long term of six years t<j immediately JEi 



I'd this 



md Harlan had now ln'come a canili- S«t 

3Jl 



date for his own successorshiii. to which Kirkwood Jej 



also aspired. L'ltimately, Kirkwood was elected J 



for the first and Harlan for tlie second term. 



Dur- 



ing his brief Senatorial service. Kirkwood did not ;;' 

hesitate t<.) measure swords with Senator Sunnier, ;^ij 

whose natural egdti>m had liegotten in him an ar- S-lJ 

royant aiul dictatorial manner, borne with hundily J'] 

until then by his colleagues, in deferenci' to his 5|;j 

Hi 

3';i 

3M 
3':1 



hing experience and eminent ability. Imt nnpalata- JJ 
ble to an independent Western Senator like Kirk "" 
wood. 

At the close of his Senatorial term. .March 1 
1SU7, he resumed the jiractice of law. which a few JjiJ 
years later he relimpiished toacceiitthe I'residency 3,iJ 
of the Iowa (-'ity Savings I'.ank. In l.sT.") he wis 3^11 
again elected Governor, and was inaugurated Jan. 31^} 
lo, 187(i. He .served but little over a year, as p[ 



earlv ui LS; / he was 



chosen United States Senator. :[:' 
He tilled this jiosition four years, resigning to be- qjiij 



3Sl 



come Secretary of the Interior in President (iar 
field's Cabinet. In this office he wa 



ncceeded, 31! 



April 17, l.s,S2. by Henry 31. Teller, of Colorado. |W 
Gov. Kirkwood returned to Iowa City, his home, Unt 



where he still resides, being now advanced in years. S^h 
He was married in 18-13, to 3Iiss -lane Clark, a na- 3^} 
five of Ohio. '^\ 

In I ssCi Mr. Kirkwood «:is nouunated for Con- ¥i\ 
gress by the Uepulilicans of his district. Consider- 3|[ 
.able interest was manifested in the contest, as lioth j'^" 
the Labor and Democratic })arties had pc.ipular can- : 



lates in the field. 





J 



Bob 



Ar^ ^K:^^ riiiriiiirTTmmii 1 . 



N^^^^-, 



II 

35 1 

351 

I! 

ii 

3i;i 

3=1 

s;i 

3"! 

3-- 1 

3:: I ■ 

=4 

"1 




^Ac/fe2~^ 



L4.LLLLLLLU M ' <t i m t j frrirT^m ' nlx-m frgYirfefit o 



t^iHSSHfO 





-,>» — o♦o•■@^x^©-«»♦o — <<-. 





ILLIAM M. STONE, the 
^ixtli (Governor of Iowa, was 
born Oct. 14. 1827. His 
parents, Truman and La- 
vina (North ) Stime. who 
were of English ancestry, 
moved to Lewis County, N. 
Y.. when William was hut a 
William's grandfather, Aaron 
Stone, was in the second war with En- 
gland. When our suliject was six 3-ears 
of age his parents moved into Ohio, lo- 
cating in Coshocton Count}'. Like many 
nther self-made men. AVilliam ]M. had few 
advantages. He never attended a school 
of any kind more than twelve months. 
In boyhood he was for two seasons a team-driver 
• 111 the Ohio Canal. At seventeen he was appren- 
ticed to the chairmaker's trade, and he followefl 
that Inisiiiess until he was twenty-three years of 
age, reading law meantime during his spare hours, 
wherever he happened to be. He commenced at 
f'oshoeton, with .lames Mathews, who afterward 
liceame his father-in-law; continued his reading 
with Gen. Lucius V. Pierce, of Akron, and finished 
"ith Ezra B.Taylor, of Ravenna. He was admitted 
to the bar in August, 18yl. by Peter Hitchcock 
and Rufus P. Ranney, Supreme Judges- holding a 
term of court at Ravenna. 



i 



i 



1 I 



After practicing three years at Coshocton with 
his old precejjtor. James Mathews, he. in November. 
l.S.'>4, settled in Knoxville, which has remained his 
home since. The year after locating here Mr. 
Stone purchased the Knoxville Jminiril. and w.a.s 
one of the prime movers in forming the Republican 
jxirty in Iowa, being the first editor to suggest .a 
State Convention, which met Feb. 22, 185(i. and 
completed the organization. In the autumn of the 
same year he was a Piesidential elector on the Re- 
publican ticket. 

In April, 1857, ^Ir. Stone was chosen Judge of 
the Eleventh Judicial District. He was elected 
Judge of the Sixth .Indicia! District when the new 
Constitution went into operation in 1 8,58, and was 
serving on the bench when the American flag was 
stricken down at Fort Sumter. .\t that time, 
April. 18(;i, he was holding court in Fairfield, 
Jefferson County, and when the news came of the 
insult to the old flag lie immc<liatcly a<1joiunpd 
court and prepared for what he believed to be mure 
important duties — duties to his country. 

In May he enlisted as a private ; was made Cap- 
tain of Co. B, Third Iowa Inf., and was subse- 
quently promoted to Major. With that regiment 
he w.as at the battle of Blue Mill. Mo., in Septem- 
ber, 1861, where he was wounded. At Shiloh. the 
following spring, he commanded the regiment and 
was taken prisoner, By order of Jefferson Davis 



11 






y 



m 






'■ .'il 

-J 






C 



'^ij"rrrrrwrwywnrxjtr^> I 



,rm tzxxrm nrmTXTiri 1 1 r r 



jJfttt: 



n mm mm rrr-m r TT r 



I ^tXXXCX.C^XXXHXXXXXXXXXmX!X7T 



rziixiixixTiirxiExxrKi' 










111. 132 



willia:m m. stone. 



PH 






u 



bH 



V: 






M 



PI 

lip, 



d: 



n" 



,1M^| 



he was paroled for the time of fortj' days, with 
orders to repaii- to Washington, and if possible 
secure an agreement for :i cartel for a general ex- 
change of prisoners, and to return as a prisoner if 
he did not succeed. P'ailing to secure that result 
within tlie period specified, he returned to Rich- 
mond and had his parole extended fifteen days; re- 
])airing again lo Washington, he effected his pur- 
pose and was exchanged. 

In August, isi;2. he was appi^inted l\v (4ov. 
Kirkwood Colonel of the Twenty-sec(md Iowa 
Infantry, uhicli rendezvoused and organized at 
Camp Pope, Iowa Cit}', the same month. Tlie 
regiment was occujiied for several montlis in guard- 
ing supply stores and tlie railroad, and escorting 
suj)ply trains to the Army of the .S(jutheast Mis- 
souri until .Tan. '>7. lH(io, when it received orders 
lo join the army under (Jen. Davidson, at West 
I'lains, Mo. After a march of five days it reached 
its destination, and was luigaded witli the Twenty- 
first and Twenty-thinl Iowa regiments. Col. Stone 
comman<ling. and was designated the First Brigade, 
First Division, Army of Southeast Missouri. April 
I found Col. Stone at Milliken's JJend, Jja.,to assist 
Grant in the capture of Vicksburg. He was now 
in immediate command of his regiment, which 
formed a part of a l)rigade under Col. C. L. Harris, 
of the Eleventh Wisconsin. In the advance ujMin 
I'oit Gibson Col. Harris was taken sick, and Col. 
Stone was again in cliarge of a brigade. In the 
battle f)f Port Gibson the Colonel and his com- 
mand distinguished themselves, and were successful. 



The brigade was in the reserve at C'ham])ion Hills, 
and in active skirmish at Black River. 

On the evening of May lM Col. Sionc received 
(ien. (irant's order for a general a.ssault oii the 
enemy's lines at 10 A. M. on the 22d. In this 
charge, which was nnsuecessful. Col. .Stone was 
again wounded, receiving a gunshot in the left 
forearm. Col. Stone commanded a brigade until 
the last of August, when, being ordered to the fJulf 
Department, he resigned. He had become \ery 
popular with the jieople of Iowa. 

He was nominated in a Repuljlican convention, 
held at Des Moines in .Inne, lH6o, and ua> elected 
by a very large majority. He was breveted Brig- 
adier-General in l.s('i4, during his first year as Gov- 
ernor. He was inaugurated Jan. 14. 18()4,and was 
re-elected in 18G5, his four years in oftice closing 
Jan. IG, 1868. His majority in 18(i3 was nearly 
30,000, and in 18(Jo about IG.oOO. His diminished 
vote in I860 was due to the fact that he w-as very 
strongly committed in favor of negro suffrage. 

Gov. Stone made a very energetic and efficient 
Executive. Since the expiration of his guljernatorial 
term he has sought to escape the public notice, and 
has given his time to his private business interests. 
He is in partnership with Hon. O. B. Ayres, of 
Knoxville. in legal practice. 

He w-as elected to the General Assembly in 18< / 
and served one term. 

In May, 18.57, he married Miss Carloaet Mathews, 
a native of Ohio, then residing in Knoxville. They 
have one sou — William A. 



: a 

: ri 
::ri 

- 0- 

:.i 

- fi 



a::lJ 
5'- 1 

: 1 



3:; 



kt ^.^^.J 




S:l 

:=i 

El 

n\ 

iii 



1 

;^i 

m 










i 

i 










♦g;g*s;&*sis*^s*e;g 









-o*o-®^^V®-< 




^-^ A3IUEL MERRILL, (lovernor 
from 186« to 1872, was born 
ill Oxford County, Maine, 
Aug. 7. 182-2. He is a de- 
scendiiiit on lii.s mother's side 
of Peter Hill, who eame from 
England and settled in Maine 
ill l().j3. From this ancestry have 
sprung most of the Hills in Ameri- 
ca. On his father's side he is a de- 
cendant of Nathaniel Merrill, who 
came from P>nglaiid in 163fi,and lo- 
cated in Massachusetts. Nathaniel 
had a son, Daniel, who in turn had 
a son named John, and he in turn 
begat a son called Thomas. The 
hitter was liorn Dec. 18, 1708. On the 4th of Aug- 
i>t. 1728, was liorn to him a son, Samuel, who w:l^ 
married and lia<l a family of twelve chililren.oiie of 
\\lioiii. Aliel, was taken by his father to Boston in 
I 7.')(i. Abel was married to Elizabeth Page, who 
had live children, one of whom, Abel, .Ir.. was the 
l.itlicr of our subject. He marrieil Abigail Hill 
liiiH' 25, 1809, .and to them were born eiglit chil- 
'Ireii. Samuel being the youngest but one. At the 
age of sixteen Samuel moved witli his parents to 
I'.uxton. Maine, the native place of his mother, 
uliere his time was employed in turns in teaching 
and attending school until lie attained his majority. 
Having deterniiiied to make teaching a profession, 
and feeling that the Soutli offered better opportu- 
nities, lie ininic<liately set out for that section. He 



remained, however, but a short time, as lie says •■ he 
was born too far North." Suspicion having been 
raised as to his aliolitiou principles and finding the 
elementnot altogether congenial, he soon abandoned 
the sunnj" South and went to the old (iranite State, 
where the next several years were spent in farming. 
In 1847 he moved to Tam worth, N. H., where he 
engaged in the mercantile business in company with 
a brcjther. in which he was quite successful. Not 
being satisfied with the limited resources of North- 
ern New England he determined to try his g<jod 
fortune on the broad prairies of the fertile West. 

It was in the year 185G that ISIr. Merrill turned 
his face toward the setting sun, finding a desirable 
location near McGregor, Iowa, where he establishecl 
a branch house of the old firm. The ])o|)ulation in- 
creased, as also did their trade, and their house be- 
came one of the most extensive wliolesale establish- 
ments on the Upper Mississippi. During all these 
years of business Mr. INIerrill took an active part in 
politics. In lH.")4hewas chosen on the aliolitiou 
ticket to the Legislature of New Hampshire. Tlie 
following year he was again retiinuii to llie Legis- 
lature, and doubtless had he remaiue<l in that .State 
would have risen still higher. In coming to Iowa 
his experience and ability were demaii<led by his 
neighbors, and he wius here called into [lulilic serv- 
ice. He was sent to the Legislature. ;iiiit though 
assembled with the most distillgui^hed men of his 
time, took a leading part in the important services 
demanded of that body. The Legislature was con- 
vened in an extra session of 1861, to provide for 



v\ 






Si 

'I 

V-i 






m 



iLXEZmxZXxi 




., ^ 




'i 



1:1 



a 

mm 



tM 



1 



feij 



136 



SAMUEL MERRILL. 




the exigencies <if the Reliellion. and in its deliber- 
ntions Mr. Merrill took an active part. 

In tile summer of 1862. Mr. Merrill was commis- 
sioned Colonel of the 21st Iowa Infantry, and im- 
mediately- went to the front. At the time Marnia- 
dnke was menacing the I'nion forces in Missouri, 
which calle<l for ](romi)t action on the jjart of the 
Union (ienerals, Col. Meriill was placed in com- 
man<l. with detachments of the 21st I<)\va and lUlth 
Illinois, a portion of the ."5(1 Iowa Cav.alry and two 
pieces <)f artillery, with orilers to make a forced 
march to Springfield, he being at the time eighty 
miles distant. On the morning of .Ian. 11, 1863. 
he came across a body of Confederates who were 
••idvancing in heavy force. I mmediate preparations 
for l)attle were made by Col. Merrill, and after lirisk- 
ly tiring for an honr. the enemy fell liack. .Merrill 
then mo\ cd in the direction of Ilartville. where he 
foun<l the enemy in force tnider ^larmaduke. being 
aliout eiglit thonsand strong, while Merrill had Init 
one-tenth of that numlier. A hot struggle ensued 
in which the Twenty-first distinguislied itself. The 
Confedei-ate loss was several officers and thiee bun- 
dled men killed and wouniled. while tlie Union loss 
was but se\en killed and sixty-four wounded. The 
following winter the regiment performed active 
service, taking (lart in the cam])aign of \ick>burg. 
It fought under ilcClernand at Port (ubson, and 
while making the famous charge of Black River 
Itridge, Col. .Meriill was severely wc)unde(l through 
the hip. He was laid u|> from tiie 17th of May to 
.fanuary. when he again joined his regiment in 
Texa.-. and in .lune. I.sfi4. on account of suffering 
from hi.- wound, lesigned and returned to Mc- 
(iregor. hi IsC.T Mr. Merrill was chosen (Jov- 
ernor of the State, being elected \i\Hm the Repub- 
lican ticket. He .served with such .satisfaction, that 
in l«(i',i he was re-nominated anil accordingly 
elected. 

Under the administration of Gov. Merrill, 
the movement foi- the erection of the new .State 
Hou.se was inaugurated. Tiie Thirteenth ( General 
Assembly jirovided for the building at a cost of 
11,500,0(10. anil made an appropriation with which 
to begin the wm-k of xi .-|i).(i(iii. With this -uni the 
work was begun, and Nov. 23. 1871. the corner 
stone was laid in the presence of citizens from all 



jjarts of the State. On this occasion the (Tovernor 
delivered the address. It was an historical view of 
the incidents culminating in the labors of the day. 
It was replete with historical facts, showed patient 
research, was logical and argumentative, and at times 
eloquent with the fire and genius of American pa- 
triotism. It is a paper worthy of the occasion, 
and does justice to the head and heart that con- 
ceived it. 

During the gubernatorial career of Gov. Mer- 
rill, extending through two terms, from Janu- 
ary. ISd.s. to .lanuary. I.s72. he was actively en- 
gaged in the discharge of his official duties, and 
probalily no incumlient of that office ever devoted 
himself more earnestly to the public good, stand- 
ing by the side of Gov. Fairchild. of Wisconsin. 
The two were instrumental in placing the slack- 
water navigation between the Mississippi and the 
Lakes in the w.ay of ultimate and certain success. 
The (iovernor treated this subject to great length 
and with marked ability in his message to the Thir- 
teenth (u-neral Asscmlily. and so earnest was he in 
behalf of this improvement, that he again di.scussed 
it in his message to the Fourteenth General Assem- 
bly. In the instigation of the work the Governors 
of the different States interested, called conventions, 
and through the deliberations of these assemblies 
the aid of the (Jeneral Government was .secured. 

Samuel Merrill was first married to Catherine 
Thomas, who died in 1847, fourteen months after 
their marriage. In .lanuary, l.S;")l,he was united 
in marriage with a Miss Hill, of Buxton, Maine. 
She became the mother of four children, three of 
whi>m died young, the eldest living to lie only two 
and a half years old. 

After the expiratitm of his public .service he re- 
turned to McGregor, but shortlv afterward removed 
to I)es .Moines, where he is now residing, and is 
President of the Citizens" National Bank. 

Thus lirietly have been pointed out the leading 
featui-cs ill the life of one of Iowa's most [tromi- 
nent citizens, and one who has made an honoralile 
record both in public positions and private enter- 
prises. He is highl_y esteemed in the city where he 
resides and is regarded as one of the faithful rep- 
resentatives of the sons of New England. In stat- 
ure he is fully six feet high and finel}- proportioned 












^/T^'^Smf YRUs c 




-J—JK- 



CLAY CARPENTKH. 

(iuvernoruf Iowa t'loiu l^Ti' 

to IMT."), iiK'lusivu, was lioni 

ill Susquehanna County, I'a., 

J, Nov. -24, l.S-29. He was left 

an orplian at an early age, his 

mother (lvin<j when he was at 



!'^ the age of ten years, anil his father two 
years hiter. He was left in destitute 
cireumstanees, and went first to learn 
the trade of a elothier. which, however, 
he abandoned after a few months, and 
engaged with a farmer, giving a term 
in the winter, however, to attendance 
upon the district school. When eighteen 
he began teaching school, and the fol- 
lowing four years divided bis time between teach- 
ing and attending the academy at Hartford. At 
the conclusion of this period he went to Ohio. 
where he engaged .as a teacher for a year and .1 
half, spending the summer at farm work. 

In the year l.s.54 JMr. Carpenter came further 
westward, visiting many points in Illinois and 
Iowa, arriving at Des Moines, then a vill.age of 
some 1,200 inhahitaiits. This place, however, not 
offering a favorable location, he proceeded on his 
journej', arriving in Fort Dodge June 2H, l.s,')4. 
Owing to his lieing without funds he was compelled 
to travel on foot, in which way the journey to Fort 
Dodge was made, with his entire worldly posses- 
sions in a carpet-sack which he carried in his hand. 
He soon found employment at Fort Dodge, as as- 
sistant to a fTovernment surveyor. This work be- 



ing completed, young Carpenter assisted his land 
lord in cutting hay, but soon secui-eil another " '^i 
position as a surveyor's assistant. In the earl^' || pi 
part of the following Jaiuiary he engaged in teach- i] ||, 
ing school at Fort Dodge, but in the s[)ring was ^j || 
employed to take charge of .a set of surveyor> in 'j;^ 
surveying the counties of Kmniet and Kossuth. -j 

On his return to Fort Dodge lie found the land- ,14 Ju, 
office, which had been established at that iilace, 1 tp^ 
was about to open for the sale of land. Being 
familiar with tlie coiinliy and the location of the 
iiest land, he oi>ened a private land-(tl1iee, and 
found constant and prolitalile eiii|)loyinent for the 
following three years, in platting and surveying 
lands for those seeking homes. During this i)eriod 
he became extensively known, and, being an active 
Rei)ublican, he was chosen as a standard-bearer for [^^ 
his section of the .State. He was elected to the 
Legislature in the autumn of 18o7. In l.SfJl, (jn 
the breaking out of the Rebellion, he volunteered 
and was assigned to duty as Commissary of Sul)- 
sistence, inucli of the time being Chief Commissary 
of the left wing of the Kith Arinv Corjis. In istU 
he was i)romoted Lieutenant-Colonel and assigned 
to duty on the staff of (ien. Logan, as Chief Com- 
missary of the l.oth Army Corps. He continued in 
the service until the close of the war, and in 
August, 18G5, wa.s mustered out. 

Upon the close of his service to his countr}' he 
returned to his home at Fort Dodge, but, owing to 
St) manj' changes whicii iiad taken |)lace, ;uid such 
an influx of enterprising men into the city, he 
found his once prosperous business in the hands of 



ii 
1 



U 

w^ 

i I 

Si 1 

LI 






t IlfJlJ|lJ^IJLXIlJaJLU[ IIl 






1 niriJUtxoajtxxxx j 

, ; i" I lllll rfTTTTrn tTTTTTT .'. 




i.yp'W^ irxxxxxunrntxtinftiiixx.izr ^^*I W fTl'i- r.»j« it iriJ ii-iiiii»i>iJti-r j ' 
Af*SjJ^ xiTX-ZTXTtrx.ttx-t I ri 1113:1:11:1:1:1 uiidM)^ irrtn. 



1 



Bi:^ 




1 10 



CYRUS CLAY CARPENTER, 




<illiei-8. III! turned his attention t<> the improve- 
ment of :i piece of land, where lie remained nntil 
liis election, in the autumn of ISGC, as Register of 
tiie State Land-OMice. lie was re-elected in 1868, 
and refused the nomination in 1870. This i)osition 
took him to l)es 3Ioines, liut in 1870 he returned 
to Eort Dodire. Durinii' the sunnner of the follow- 
ing jear he was nominated hy the I\ei)nl)lican Jiartv 
lor (Governor. He was elected, ami inaugurated as 
Chief Executive of Iowa Jan. 11, 1872. In 1873 
he was renominated by his party, and October 14 
of that year w.as re-elected, his inauguration taking 
]>lace Jan. 27, ls74. Cov. Carpenter was an aide, 
po})ukr and faithful Executive, and was regarded 
as one of the most honest, prominent and unselfish 
ollicials the State ever had. Plain, unas>uming, 
modest, he won his pulilic [xjsition more through 
the enthusiasm of his friends than by any personal 
effort or desire of his own. Everywhere, at all 
times and upon all occasions, he demonstrated that 
the contidcnce of ins friends was justified. He took 
an active part in the great (pu'stion of monopolies 
and trans|iortation evils, which during his adininis- 
tiatioii were so i)rominent, doing much ti^ secure 
wise legislatu)n in these respects. 

Gov. Carpenter has been regarded as a i)idilic 
speaker of more than ordinary ability, and lias 
upon many occasions lieen the orator, and always 
appreciated by the people. 

At the expiratiirti of his second term as Governor 
;\Ir. Cai'iienter w.-is appointed Second Comptroller 
of the United States Treasury, which position he 
resi"iied afti'r a service of fifteen months. This 
step Mas an evidence of his luiselfishness, as it was 
taken because another P)ureau ollicer was to be dis- 
missed, as it was held that Iowa, had more heads of 
Hureaus than she w.as entitled to, and liis resigning 
an office of the higher grade saved the position to 
another. In Lssl he was elected to Congress, and 
.served with ability, and in the Twentieth General 
Assendily of Iowa he represented Webster County. 

Gov. Carpenlcr was married, in ]\larcli, 1 S(U, to 
Miss Sn>an liurkhohler, of Fort Dodge. No chil- 
dren have been born to them, but they liave reared 
a niece of !Mrs. Cari)entei's. 

During his entire life Mr. Carpenter has been de- 
voted to the principles of Reform and the best 




interests of all classes of citizens who, bj' adoption 
or by birth-right, are entitled to a home upon our 
soil and the protection of our Laws, under the great 
charter of '■ Life, Libert}' and the Pursuit of Ilap- 
j>iness." In an address in 18r)2 he took advanced 
views upon the leading subjects of public interest. 
He had already laid the foundation for that love of 
freedom which afterwards found an anqtle field f)f 
labor with the Republican party. There was noth- 
ing chimerical in his views. He looked at every 
strata of human society, and, from the wants of the 
masses, wiselj^ devined duty and prophesied clestin}'. 
He would have the people of a free Republic edu- 
c;ited in the spirit of the civilization of the age. 
Instead of cidtivating a taste fi i' a species of liter- 
ature tending directly to degrade the mind and 
deprave the heart, thereby leading back to a state 
of superstition and consequent barbarism, he would 
cultivate princijiles of temperance, industry and 
economy in every youthful mind, as the indispens- 
able ingredients of good citizens, or subjects upon 
whose bai;iier will be inscribed Liberty, Equality, 
Frateniity. 

Thus earl}' in life Mr. Carpenter saw the destined 
tendency of our American institutions, and the ad- 
vancing civilization of the age. He saw it in the 
peace congress, whose deliberations ha\e made the 
Rhine thrice immortal. He saw it in the i)rospect- 
ive railwa}', which he believed would one day 
unite the shores of the Atlantii' with those of the 
Pacific — a fact I'calized by the construction of the 
great continental railway. 

It was thus earl}- that he began to study the 
wants of the world, and with what clearness and 
directness may be seen by the correctness of his 
vision and the accomplishment of what he consid- 
ered an inevitable necessity. 

Thus, growing up into maidiood, and passing on- 
ward in the rugged pathway of time, disciplined in 
political economy and civil ethics in the stern 
school of experience, he was prepared to meet every 
emergency with a steady hancl ; to liring order out 
of disci>rd,and insure harmony and jirosperity. 

(■ov. Carpenter is now engaged in the quiet pur- 
suits of farm life, residing at Fort Dodge, where 
he is highly esteemed as one of her purest minded 
and m(.ist upright citizens. 



i 



Ill 



i 



''fffl 



u^^^ n i . \ 



,i...«-»»^-|fg««tyn: 



j>,iiiiiiiiinii>'i"'>'hi'yiMVaS 



aa 




GOVERNORS OF IOWA. 



143 






( )SIIUA G. NEWBOLD, the 

ninth Governor of Iowa, is 
.1 native of Pennsylvania. 
He Comes from that excellent 
stock known as the Friends, 
who very early settled in 
New .Jersey. .Joshua G. is the 
son of BarziUa and Catherine 
(House) Newbold, and was born 
■J in Fayette County, May 12, 
18:50. He was born a farmer's 
l)oj' and was reared in the vigor- 
ous em[)loyment of farm work. 
When he was eight j'earsof age the 
family moved to Westmoreland 
Count}-, Pa., where, in the common 
^iliools and in a select school or academy, young 
Ncwliold received liis education. When sixteen 
\ lars of age he accompanied the family on their re- 
1 11111 to Fayette County. Here for the following 
eiglit years he assisted Ids fatlu-r in running a Hour- 
: ing-niill as well as devoting much of his time to 
leaching scliool. When about nineteen years of 
:iuc our subject began the study of medicine, de- 
\oting much of his time while teaching to his med- 
ical liooks. He, however, abandoned tiie idea of 
l>ecoming a physician and turned his attention to 
ilift'erent walks in life. 

In the month of Mardi, 1854, Mr. Newbold re- 
moved to Iowa, locating on a farm, now i)artly in 
ilie coriwration of Mount Pleasant, Henry Count}'. 



At the end of one year he removed to Cedar 
Township, Van Kureii County, tliere mercliandising 
and farming till about 1800, when he removed to 
HilLsboro, Henry County, and pursuiMJ the same 
callings. 

In 1862, when the call was made for 600,000 men 
to finish the work of crushing tlie Hebellion, Mv. 
Newbold left his farm in the hands of his family 
and iiis store in charge of his partner, and went into 
the army as Captain of Company C, 2;')th Regiment 
of Iowa lufantr}-. He served nearl}- three 3-ears, 
resigning just before the war closed, on account of 
disability. During tlie last two or three mcmths he 
served at the South lie filled tlu' position of .Judge 
Advocate, with headquarters at Woodville, Ala. 

His regiment was one of those that made Iowa 
troops famous. It arrived at Helena, Ark., in 
November, 1862, and sailed in December following 
on the expedition against Vicksliurg 1iy way of 
Chickasaw Bayou. At the latter place was its first 
engagement. Its second was at Arkansas Post, and 
tiiere it suffered severel}^ losing in killed and 
wtjunded more than si.xty. 

After Lookout Mountain it joined in the pursuit 
of Bragg's flying forces to Ringgold, where it en- 
gaged tlie eiiemj' in their strong works, November 
27, losing twenty-nine wounded. The following 
year it joined Sherman in his Atlanta Campaign, 
then on the famous march to the sea and through 
the Carolinas. 

On returning to Iowa he continued in the mer- 



Pl 



mi 
im 
im 



ffH 



u 



M 



I ixti-inmi ijtAixiJi tniJii* 1 1 

;.v;."r7Tr.7771 :,v,-;;rrrr r7.-. •■■■■■-■ ' 
^rtXTJTXiTtiTwBSkmstxixxxx 



■ «"»"p^T^TTI»»>'g 






XKXkl'KlXXU 



• r^T^-, 




I^- 144 



(^rai 



JOSHUA G. NEWBOLD. 



wm 



1 



I 



at;?' 



cantile trade at Hilljl)oro for three or foiir ,years, 
and then sold out. ijiving thereafter his whole at- 
tention to agriculture, stock-raising and stock-deal- 
ing, making the stock department an important 
factor in his business for several years. Mr. New- 
bold was a member of the 13th, 14th and l/ith (Gen- 
eral As.sembiies. representing Henry Countj% and 
was Chairman of the School C'r)nimittee in the 1 4th, 
and of the committee on approjjriations in the l.jth 
(ieneral Assemlily. In the l.ith (1874) he was tem- 
porary Speaker during the deadlock in organizing 
tile House. In 187.) he was elected Lieutenant 
Governor on the Republican ticket with Samuel .T. 
Kirkw(jod. 

His Democratic competitor was E. D. Woodward, 
who received 93,060 votes. Mr. Newbold received 
1. '54, 100, or a majority of 31,106. Governor Kirk- 
wood being elected United States Senator during 
that session, Mr. Newbold became Governor, taking 
the chair Feb. 1. 1877. and vacating it for Gov. 
(iear in .lanuaiT. 1878. 

(iov. Newbold's message to the Legislature 
in 187iS, shows painstaking care and a clear, liusi- 
uess-like view of the interests of the State. His 
recommendations were carefully considered and 
largely adopted. The State's finances were then in 
a less creditalile condition than ever before or 
since, as there was an increasing floating debt, then 
amounting to §340,826.56, more than $1)0,000 in 
excess of tiie Constitutional limitation. Said (iov. 
Newbi)l<l in iiis message: "The commonwealth 
ought not t<i set an example of dilatoriness 
ill meeting its obligations. Of all forms of indebt- 
iiliiess. that <jf a floating character is the most ob- 
jectionable. The uncertainty as to its amount will 



invariably enter into any computation made bj- per- 
sons contracting with the State for supplies, mater- 
ial or labor. To remove the ]3resent ditllculty. and 
to avert its recurrence, I look upon as the most im- 
jiortant work that will demand your attention." 

One of the greatest problems before statesmen is 
that of equal and just taxation. The following 
recommendation shows that Gov. Newhold was 
abreast with foremost thinkers, for it propo.ses a 
step which yearly finds more favor with the peojile : 
"The inequalities of the persoiial-proiierty valu- 
ations of the several counties suggest to my iniii<l 
the propriety of so adjusting the State's levy as t( i 
require the counties to pay intfi the State treasury 
only the tax f)n realty, leaving the corresponding 
tax on personalty in the conntj' treasury. This 
would re.st with each county the adjustment of its 
own personal property valuations, without fear that 
they might be so high as to work injustice to itself 
in comparison with frther counties." 

Gov. Newbold has alw.ays affiliated with tlic 
Republican party, and holds to its great cardinal 
doctrines, having once embraced them, with the 
same sincerity and honesty that he cherishes his re- 
ligious sentiments. He has lieen a Christian fin- 
something like twenty-five years, his connection be- 
ing with the Free-Will Baptist Church. He found 
his wife, Rachel Farquhar. in Fayette C'ountj', Pa., 
their union taking jilace on the 2d of May. 18.50. 
They have had five children and lost two. The 
names of the living are Mary AUene, Emma 
Irene and (George C. 

The Governor is not yet an nld man. and may 
serve his State or county in other capacities in the 
coming years. 



-ft 

I 
I 

:l 
-I 
I 
I 
1 






= 

:'i 

II 

M 
l\ 

: n 

li 





II 










--^ j**:*^!^ 








f^l 



I 




I 





Kr'r'cM.'il 
Trrrr Uxiii ixiTifUfTiFrrTrTfMTx 

IHaH3S3 









S3 iHpH.rJHH'r'HriaHa 



'^■Ji '■■■ ' 



BHF"" 



OOVERXORS OF IOWA. 




147 









OHN H. GEAR, the tenth 
^ geiitleiimu to occupy the 
I']xecMtive Chair of Iowa, is 
:~till a rejiident ot liiirliiigtoii. 
He is a native <if the Empire 
State, wlierc in the city of 
® Jtliica, April 7, I .S2."), he was liorn. 
Rev. E. (i. Geai, his father, was 
l\ born ill New London, Conn., in 
)2, and liecanie a distinguished 
clergyman <^)f the Protestant 
Episcopal Church. His family had 
removed witii him, while he ivas 
still young, to rittsticld, JMass., and 
in the year IcSKi, after his ordina- 
tion as <i clergyman of the Episco- 
j);d Church, he went to New York 
and locateil at Onondaga Hill near 
the city of Syracuse. Shortly after 
tliis settlement, the young minister 
united in marriage with Miss 
Miranda E. Cook. After serving- 
various congregations in Western 
New York for man}' jears, he de- 
termined to become a pioneer in 
i}:!^ Northern Illin(jis, which at the time, in the j-ear 
i:;5 18S6, was ))eiiig rapidly settled up. He found a 
i;ic dcsiralile location at Galena where he remained un- 

1 3< 

irS til 183M, when he received tiie apixiintnient as 

1 ^J 

i;:; Chaplain in the United States army while located 

iJ .'it Fort Snellina;, JHnn. He lived a long and act- 

lii ive life, doing much good, quitting his labors in 



^^ J^yT XT TrT TjcpamxmT-i I 1. ■ 1 ^ 



' xTiTr nrra mnt m r r I rarrrm 



S?S~! 



T i ■ I II I m iii ii i iT Tm:! 



tmmtxxrtxTrixxTX-xmjirri 



the year 1874. at the advanced age of eighty-two 
years. 

The tinly son born to Mr. and Mrs. E. G. Gear 
was J. H., afterward the distinguished Governor of 
Iowa. As aliove stated the birth occurred in 1 8-2.5. 
In l.s4.i, when still a yi>uiig man, he caine "West to 
Burlington, where he has since continued to reside, 
her most distinguished citizen. Shortly after his 
arrival in the young city, he embarked in his mer- 
cantile career, engaging at the time with the firm 
of Bridginan & Bros., in the capacity vf a clerk. 
Remaining with tiiis firm for a little over a year, 
he left them f<jr an engagement with W. F. Cool- 
liaugh, who at vne time was President of the 
rniou National Bank, of Chicago, and who at that 
eai-ly jieriod was the leading merchant of Eastern 
Iowa. He served Mr. Coolbaugh so faithfully, and 
with such marked ability for the following five 
years, tiiat, when desirous of a partner in his busi- 
ness, the wealthy merchant could find no one in 
whom he could place greater confidence and with 
whom he could trust his extensive business rela- 
tions that pleased him better than the young clerk. 
Accordingh' he was associated as a partner under 
the film name of "W. F. Coolbaugh A Co. Under 
this ,'uraiigement the firm did a prosperous busi- 
ness for the following five years, when Mr. Gear 
purchased the entire business, which he carried on 
with marked success until he became known as the 
oldest wholesale grocer in the State. He is at present, 
besides filling other j^rtmiinent business relations, 
President of the Rolling Mill Co., of Galesburg. 



miiizuziiiiiirTTT 




ill 
ii 



m% 



m 





rjzf^^.^ 



iTTTrmrnTurmmirxxixtrj- 



■.iiirrimi; 



148 



JOHN H. GEAR. 



f 



'PI 



Mr. Gear has been honored by his fellow-citizens 
witli niany positions of trust. In 1852 he was 
elected Aklerniau; in 18G3 was elected Mayor 
over A. W. C'arpciitei-, being the first Republican 
up to that time who had been elected in Burlington 
on a party issue. In 18(57 the Burlington, Cedar 
Rapids <k Minnesota Railroad Company was organ- 
ized, and lie was chosen as its President. His ef- 
^W\ forts highly contributed to the success of the enter- 
|;i!i!l prise, which did much for Burlington. He was 
11 also active in promoting the Burlington & South- 
I! , western Railway, as well as the Burlington & North- 
western narrow-gauge road. 

He has always acted with the Republican party, 
and in 1871 vvas nominated and elected a member 
of the House of Representatives of the 14th 
General Assembly. In 1873 he was elected to the 
loth (ieneral Assembly. The Republican cau- 
cus of the House nominated him for Speaker by 
acclamation, and after a contest of two weeks he 
was chosen over his opponent, J. W. Dixon. He 
WW filled the i)osition of Speaker very acceptably, and 
y at the close of the sessi(jn all the members of the 
House, independent of party attiliations, joined in 
signing their names to a resolution of thanks, which 
was engraved and presented to him. In 187.i he 
was the third tune nominated to the Assembly liy 
the Reindilican partj', and while his county gave a 
large Democratic vote he was again elected. He 
"as also again nominated for Speaker by the Re- 
publican caucus, and was elected by a handsome 
majority over his competitor, Hon. John Y. Stone. 
He is the onlj- man in the State who ever had the 
honor f)f I)eing chosen to this high position a sec- 
ond time. He enjoys the reputation of being an 
lij!: :i| ) able ijarliamentarian, his rulings never having been 
Bsgir appealed from. At the close of the session he 
1 it again received the unanimous thanks of the House 
^gpsi of Representatives for his courtesj' and impartiality, 
1 and for the able and satisfactory manner in which 
1 he had presided <jver that body. 

In 1877 he was nominated for Governor by the 




u 




Republican convention which met at Des Moines. 

' i ggp^ June 28, and at the election held the following 

1 Octolier he received 121,;U(; votes, against 79,353 

„ ! for John P. Irish, 1 0,G39 for l-:iias Jessup and 38,- 

MVOh- 22c for D. P. Stubbs. His plurality over Irish 



1^ 



ii-. 






..^?^m 




was 42,193. He was inaugurated .Tan. 17, 1878, 
and served four years, being re-elected in 1879 by 
the following handsome vote: Gear, 157.571; 
Trimble, 85,056; Campbell, 45.439; Dungan, 3,258; 
Gear's majority over all competitors, 23,828. His 
second inauguration occurred in January of the 
year 1880. 

Gov. Gear's business habits enabled him to dis- 
charge the duties of his office with marked abilil\ . 
He found the financial condition of the State at a 
low ebb, but raised Iowa's credit to that of the 
best of our States. In his last biennial message he 
was able to report: "The warrants out-standing. 
l)Ut not bearing interest, Sept. 30, 1881, amounted 
to $22,093.74, and there are now in the treasury 
ample funds to meet the current expenses of the 
State. The war and defense debt has been paid, 
except the warrants for f 125,000 negotiated by the 
J^xecutive, Auditor and Treasurer, under the law 
of the 18th General Assembly, and $2,500 of 
the original bonds not j-et presented for pay- 
ment. The only other debt owing bj- the State 
amounts to #245,435.19, due to the permanent 
school fund, a portion of which is made irredeem- 
able l)y the Constitution. These facts place Iowa 
practically among the States which have no dtO)t. 
a consideration which must add much to her repu- 
tation. The expenses of the State for the last two 
years are less than those of any other period since 
1869, and this notwithstanding the fact that tlie 
State is to-day sustaining several institutions not 
then in existence ; namely, the hospital at Inde- 
pendence, the additional penitentiarj-, the Normal 
School and the asylum for the feeble-minded chil- 
dren, besides the girl's department of the reform 
school. The State also, at present, makes provision 
for fish culture, for a useful weather service, for 
sanitary supervision by a Board of Health, for en- 
couraging immigi'ation to the State, for the inspec- 
tion of coal mines by a State Inspector, and liber- 
ally for the military arm of the Government." 

Gov. Gear is now in the sixty-first year of his 
age, and is in the full vigor of both his mental and 
physical faculties. He was married in 1852 to 
Harriet S. Foot, formerly of the town of Middle- 
bur3\ Vermont, by whom he has had four children, 
two of whom are living. 




" P 
an 
a 1 
a p 
a/n 

^^ 

: .1 

: 1 






".:"l 



I 






^4 




Cj. U6^ Jn 2yrry2.^c^z^ 



c«.__— . 



LJc'gif.crKi 



tHFFT^r^r-l 



■ "'i^ >-iC3L-< ; ncr:^ ; ot^^ ■ 



GOVERNORS OF IOWA. 



151 







s^^ 



fr^ 






JpiTS"^ -^5=5 








\^NK of the most' clistiuguislR'<l 
gontlenien who was ever 
honorefl with the position 
of Chief Executive of the 
State is Buren R. Shennau. 
the eleventh Governor of 
Iowa, who is a native of New York. 
It was in the town of Phelps, in On- 
tario County, that he was born to his 
^^ parents, Phineas L. and Eveline 
(R(>bins<in) Sherman, f)n the 2Hth of 
Ma^-, IHotJ, and was the third son of 
distinguished family of children, 
parents were likewise natives of 
the Knipire State. Buren R. attended the public 
Schools of his neighborhood, but was subsequentlj' 
i:i\en advantages of the schools at Almira, X. Y.. 
wliere he acquired a very thorough knt>wledge of 
tlie English branches. Ilis father, who was a me- 
clianie, advised him at the close of his studies to 
:ipi)rentice himself to leain .some trade. He ac- 
cordingly made such arrangements with S. Aj'ers, of 
.Mmira, to learn the trade of a watchmaker. In 
1 s.")."). however, he left this position and joineil his 
family on their removal to the tlien new State of 
Iowa. They settled upon a piece of unbroken jn-ai- 
ric hind on what is now Gcneseo Townshi]i. T.nmn 




County, his father having previously purchased 
land from the Government. Here Buren R. laliored 
diligently in developing his father's fields, devoting, 
however, leisure hours which he was granted, to the 
study of law. Before leaving his Eastern home he 
had decided upon that profession and began its 
study while yet in Almira. He soon secured a ]io- 
sition as a book-keeper in a neighboring town, and 
with the wages earned there, materially assisted his 
father in the development of their home farm. In 
the meantime he had applied himself diligently to 
the .study of his bo^lks, and so studious had he 
been that in the summer of lH.")fi, he was enabled 
to pass a creditable examination and to be admitte<l 
to the bar. The following spring the young attor- 
ney moved to ^'inton, hung out his shingle and be- 
gan the jiractice of Ills profession. lie was associated 
with Hon. AVilliam Smyth, formerly District Judge, 
and J. C. Traer, under the firm name of Smj'th, 
Traei- A- Sherman. The new firm rapidly grew into 
pronnnence, building up a prosi>erous practice, 
when ^Ir. Sherman withdrew to tender his services 
to the (iovernment in defense of her integrity and 
honor. 

It was early in 1 si; 1 , directly after the enemy had 
as.s!udted the American flag on Sumter, that the 
Vfiinig attornov enlisted in Co. G. 1 .'1th Iowa A'ol. 



n 






li 



m 



;K3^ 



tLia 



j p ci k^ c; cui ts_^ ji^S It^ i 



tajco-x ixjjim 



Aittl-i I U 1 1 M 




n Ti i't I ' 



1 1 rrrrxiii 1 1 x i rxin rrfiri rixri i - 



152 



BUREX R. SIIERIMAX. 



Inf., and imniecliately went to the front. He 
entered the service as Second .Sergeant. :nid in 
February. l.s(;2. \va.-< made .Second [lieutenant of 
Company K. On tlie ilth of April following he was 
very severely wouinU'd :it the battle of I'ittsbnrgh 
Landing, .■mil while in the lio>pit;il was promoteil to 
the rank of C'iiplniu. lie returned to his cominuiy 
while yet ol)liged to use liis crutches. ;inil remained 
l^^l ,in duty till the sumnu-r of l.sd.;. when. Iiy reason of 
"' '"' liis wound, he wa.-. compelled to resign ami return 
home. Soon after returning from the arm}' he was 
il; >|t elected County .Judge of Benton County, and re- 
ssl' elected without ojniositicm in 1S(1,'). In tiie autumn 
ffl hi of 1866 he resigned his judgeship and accepted the 
,^^1 office of Clerk of the District Court, to which he 
^^^ w:is re-elected in 1.SG8. 1M70 and 1S72. and in 
December. 1 s7 -I. resigned in older to accept the 
ollice of Auditor of State, to which office he had 
l)een elected by a nuijority of '2>>,i'2't over J. M. 
King, the "anti-monopoly" candidate. In ISTG he 
was renominated and received .j().272 more votes 
thjin W. {irowneweg (Democrat) and Leonard 
IJrowne (Greenb.ack) together. in \X7S he was 
again chosen to represent the Republican party 
in that office, and this time received a major- 
ity of 7,104 over the combined votes of Col. 
Eiboeck (Democrat) and O. V. Swearenger ((Green- 
back ). In the six j-ears that he held this office, he 
was untiring in his faithful application ti) routine 
work and devotion to his special share of the State's 
business. He retired with such an enviable record 
that it v\as with no surprise the people learned. 
June 27, 1881, that he was the nominee of the Re- 
publican party for Governor. 

The campaign was an exciting one. The (ieneral 
Assembly had submitted to the people th<> prohibi- 
tory amendment to the Constitution, i'his, while 
not a partisan question, became upiscrmost in the 
^HH niiud of the ]iulilie. Mr. Shermnn received 133,- 
l 330 votes, against 83.244 for Kinne anil 2.s,l 12 for 
■^^ I D. M. Clark, or a plurality of .")().()86 and a major- 
itj' of "21,1)74. In 1 s.s;', lie was re-nominated by 
the Re])ublicans. ;is wi'il ;is !,. (i. Kinnc liy the 
Democrats. 'IMie National party offered .1. 1!. 
Weaver. During the campaign these candidates 
held a number of joint discussions at different 
points in the State. At the election the vote was: 



iluii! 

m 





Sherman, 164,182; Kinne. 13'.),093: Weaver, 23.- 
08!); Siierman's plurality. 25,089; majority, 2,000. 
In his second inaugural Gov. .'"iherman said : 

" In assuming, foi- the second time, the office of 
Chief Magistrate for the State, I fully realize my 
grateful obligations to the people of Iowa, through 
whose generous confidence I am here. I am aware 
of the duties and grave responsil>ilities of this ex- 
alted i>osition, and as well what is expected of me 
therein. As in the past I have given my undivided 
time and serious attention thereto, so in the futiue 
1 promise the most earnest devotion and untiring 
effort in the faithful performance of my official re- 
quirements. I have .seen the .State grow frtmi in- 
fancy to mature manhood. an<l each 3ear one of 
substantial l)etterment of its previous position. 

•■ With more railroads than any State, save two; 
with a .schoi^l interest the grandest and strongest, 
which commands the support and conliileuce of all 
the people, and a population, which in its entirety 
is superior to any other in the sisterhood, it is 
not strange the pride which attaches to our jn'ople. 
When we remendier that the results of our efforts in 
the direction of gC)od government luivc been 
crowned with such m.agniflcent success, and to-d;iy 
we have a State in most perfect |>hysical and finan- 
cial condition, no wonder our hearts swell in honest 
pride as we contemplate the past and so confidently 
hope for the futuie. What we may become de- 
pends on our own efforts, and to that future 1 look 
with earnest and abiding confidence." 

(iov. .Sherman's term of office continued until .bin. 
14, 1886, when he was succeeded by William Larra- 
bee, and he is now, tem])orarily. jierhaps. enjoying 
a well-earned rest. IIeh.i> lucn ;i Reindilicau since 
the organization of th:it p.-nty. and his services as a 
campaign speaker h;ive been for m;uiv years in 
oreat demand. As an officer lie has bi-en able to 
m;ike .Mil enviable record. Himself honoralile and 
thorough, his management of pulilic business ha- 
been of the same character, and such as has com- 
mended him to the approval of his fellow-citizens. 

He was iiKtrvicd. Aug. 2ii, l.s(;2, to Miss Lena 
Kendall, of Vinton, lown. a young lady of rare ac- 
conipli.-hments and strength of char.acter. Their 
union has been happy in every re<pect. They have 
two children — Lena Keud.ill and Oscar Eugene. 



: 1, 

;.i 

II 

El 

a.= i 
-in 

''-\^ 






' -TJ 
■.V 

If 



: ,1 



- l^ 



I iiiiririiiirfTSTlfiii 



i rrirrfiRlriiirrlliUlliTtS ^^^Ji'l 





ILLIAM LARRABEE. tb.- 
ire:<eiit alile (iuvenioi' of 
I<>«;i,:ui(l the twelfth gen- 
fig^ tk'iimu selected hy the 
pet>i)le as the C'liief jVIagis- 
trate of the great C'oni- 
niomvealth. is a native of 
Connecticut. His ancestors 
were ninong the French Huguenots who 
lame to America early in the seventeenth 
'•enturv and located in Connecticut. At 
iliat time they bure the name of d'Larra- 
bee. Adam Larrahee, the father of Will- 
iam, was born March 14, 17x7, and was 
line *)f the early gi'aduates of the West 
I'oiut ^lilitary Aeademj-. He served his 
couiitiy during the AVar of 1812, with distinction, 
holding the jHjsition of Second Lieutenant, to which 
he was commissioned March 1, 1811. He was jn'o- 
moted to the Captaincy of his company Feb. 1 . 
1814, and on the 30th of the following March, at 
the battle of Lacfile Mills, during (ieii. Wilkinson's 
campaign on the Saint Lawrence River, he was 
severely wounded in tiie lung. He eventually re- 
covered from the injur}' and was united in mar- 
riage to Hannah (i. Lester. This much esteemed 
lady was born June 3. 1 798. and died on the lath of 
Marcli. 1.S37. Capt. Larrabee lived to an ad- 
vanced age. dying in 186!), at the age of eighty- 
two years. 

As above mentioned, William, our subject, was 




born in Connecticut, the town of Ledyard being 
the place of his birth and .Ian. 20, 183-2. the date. 
He was the seventh child in a family of nine chil- 
dren, and passed the early years of his life upon a 
rugged New England farm, enjoj-ing ver}- meager 
educational advantages. He attemled, during the 
winter seasons, the neighboring district schools 
until he reached the age of nineteen years, when, 
during the following two winters, he filled the posi- 
tion of schoolmaster. He was ambitious to do 
.something in life for himself that would bring fort- 
une and distinction, but in making his plans for the 
future he was embarrassed by a misfortune which 
befell him when fourteen j'ears of age. In being- 
trained to the use of fii-earms under his fathei's 
direction, an accidental discharge resulted in the 
loss of the sight in the right eye. This conse- 
quently unfitted him for many employments usually 
sought liy ambitious 3-oung men. The familv 
lived near the seashore, only two miles away, and 
in that neighborhood it w.is the custom for at least 
one son in each fanuly to go u|)on the sea as a 
sailor. The two eldest brothei-s of our subject had 
chosen this occupation while the third remained in 
charge of the home farm. William was thus left 
free to chose for himself and, like many of the 
youths of that day, he wisely turne(l his face AVest- 
ward. The year 18.53 foiniil him on this joiiiiiev 
toward the setting sun, stopping only when he 
came to the broad and fertile i>r.'uries of tiie new 
State of lywa. He first joined his elder sister. Airs. 



11 



^jfB 



ij 1 



i^l 



i 1 



I 



w 



itriTmni 




; tunxtLinir 



imrrrrmnt 



I xiini-iixnxxxxui 



-irTTTrjnxmTTTii 



156 



WILLIAM LARRABEE. 



•3CT 









E. II. AVilliiinis, who was at tliat tiiiif living- at 
Garnavillo, C'laytun County. It was this circum- 
stance which led the joung boy from Connecticut 
to select his future home in tiie northeastern por- 
tion of Iowa. He resumed his occupation as a 
pedagogue, teaching, however, Ijut one winter, 
hThj which was passed at Hardin. The following three 
RRj years he was employed in the capacity of foreman 
p^l on the (i rand Meadow farm of his brother-in-law, 
.Tiidge Williams. 

Ill l.s.")7 he bought a one-third interest in the 
Ij Ij! ClernKjnt Mills, and located at Clermont, Fayette 
K^' County. He soon was able to buy the other two- 
thirds, and within a year found himself siile owner. 
He operated this mill until 1H74 when he sold to 
S. M. Leach. On the breaking out of the war he 
offered to enlist, but was rejected on account of 
the loss of his right ej-e. Being informed he might 
TJVJjfi possibly be admitted as a commissioned officer, he 
u ni raised a company and received a commission as 
iJ ^ First Lieutenant, but was again rejected for the 
same disability. 

After selling tiie mill Mr. Larrabee devoted him- 
yU self to farming, and started a private bank at Cler- 
h niont. lie also, experimentally, started a large 
^- nursery, but this resulted only in confirming the 
belief that Northern Iowa has too rigorous a cli- 
mate for fniit-raisiiig. 

Mr. Larrabee did not begin his political career 
until 18G7. He was reared as a Whig and became 
a IJepublican on the organization of that party. 
Wliile interested in politics he generally refused 
local offices, serving (Jiil^' as Treasui'er of the 
Sciiool B(jard [irior to 1SG7. In the autumn of 
that year, on the Republican ticket, he was elected 
to represent his county in the State Senate. To 
ipja; this high position he was re-elected from time to 
time, so that he served as Senator continuously for 
KiBighteen years before being promoted to the high- 
liiest office in the State. He was so popular at home 
J: [i that lie was gener.allj' re-nominated by acclamation, 
and f(jr some years the Democrats did not even 





make nominations. During the whole eighteen 
3'ears Senator Lari-abee was a member of the prin- 
cipal committee, that on AVays and Means, of which 
he was genei-allj- Chairman, and was also a niemlier 
of other committees. In the pursuit of the duties 
thus devolving upon him. he was indefatigable. 
It is said that he never missed a committee meet- 
ing. Not alone in this, Init in jjrivate and ]>ublic 
]>usiness of all kinds, his uniform habit is that of 
close application to work. JNIany of the imixirtant 
measures passed by the Legislature owe tiieir ex- 
istence or present form to him. 

He was a candidate for the gubernatorial nomina- 
tion in 1881, but entered the contest too late, as 
(lOV. Sherman's following had been successfully 
organized. In 188.5 it was generally conceded lie- 
f(jre the meeting of tlie convention that he would 
be nominated, which he was, and his election fol- 
lowed as a matter of ct)urse. He was inaugurated 
Jan. 14, 1 880, and so far has made an excellent 
(iovernor. His position in regard to the liquor 
(piestion, that on which political fortunes are made 
and lost in Iowa, is that the majority should rule. 
He was personally in favor of high license, but 
having been elected (iovernor, and sworn to up- 
hold the Constitution and execute the laws, he pro- 
poses to do so. 

A Senator who sat beside him in the Semite de- 
clares him to be " a man of the broadest compre- 
hension and information, an extraoidinarilv clear 
reasoner, fair and conscientious in his conclusions, 
and of Spartan flrmness in his matured judgment," 
and says that " he brings the jiractical facts and 
jihilosophy of human nature, the science and Jiis- 
tory of law, to aid in his decisions, and adheres with 
the earnestness of Jefferson and Sumner to the 
fundamental principles of the peoi)le's rights." 

Gov. Larrabee was married Sept. 1 2, 1 8G 1 , at Cler- 
mont, to Anna M. Appelman, daughter of Capt. 
G. A. Ajiiielman. Gov. Larrabee has seven chil- 
dren — Charles, Augusta, Julia, Anna, Williiun, 
Frederic and Helen. 






r. a 



:':vr: 



; ;1 
;: -1 

: T. 

: 1 





owa. 





WT^-. 



O gTi a XT'i 'g 




f^ 



r rxrixi-i nutura ii r xnn tjn ' - 









i 



•tiirrrriia 

il 

i 

!El 

as' 

1i 

on 
ill 

DEI 

all 

DEI 
BEl 

an 

P! 
^\ 

B'tll 



1 iijjiirjcmiinii >- 



A AJ iJ-.r-.i-.r^r-M 

" m ¥ 1 T R TrirTTT^iU irrrrxifT I rtrtnyif Mrr 







ininTmimiiii 



■ 1 1 1 X I TTZxmmuxixxxi 



luriTBgJ^ ■■'■■■■■"■■ *v ■%»' i^ii^ry| 



cr£ii t-i.t.| ^ 




J i-i-ixurxixT ■ 



ao^ -rrrr..:::: rr7~. 

l^&fS^ [nrmrammxxiinnTiTrxTT . 



an 






Ml 






pi 

Hi 

B:i 



til 
ill 
a£i 



I 



1 



3i; 



tHHl 



. mi-mlMixtii 



I:: 

■i 







1 



he 






1-: 
u: 

\% 






IS 



1=' 



m INTRODUQT^ORY.IP- 




-o- :=:^ KS»«(iii>»-Sfe«^ 




/Tf 




.^ 






[HE time has arrived when it 
becomes the duty of the 
people of this county to per- 
petuate the names of their 
pioneers, to furnish a record 
■^-^.,, °^ their early settlement, 
-n'^'T'^"-^^^^^ and relate the story of their 
iji-fff' °' progress. The civilization of our 
day, the enlightenment of the age 
and the duty that men of the pres- 
ent time owe to tlieir ancestors, to 
themselves and to their posterity, 
demand that a record of their lives 
and deeds should be made. In bio- 
graphical history is found a power 
to instruct man by precedent, to 
enliven the mental faculties, and 
to waft down the river of time a 
safe vessel in which the names and actions of the 
l^eople who contributed to raise this coujitry from its 
primitive state may be preserved. Surely and rapidly 
the great and aged men, who in their prime entered 
the wilderness and claimed the virgin soil as their 
heritage, are passing to tlieir graves. The number re- 
maining who can relate the incidents of the first days 
of settlement is becoming small indeed, so that an 
actual necessity exists for the collection and [ireser- 
vation of events without delay, before all the early 
settlers are cut down by the scytlie of Time. 

To be forgotten has been the gieat dread of mankind 
from remotest ages. All will be forgotten soon enough, 
in spite of their best works and the most e.irnest 
efforts of their friends to perserve tlie memory of 
their lives. The means employed to prevent oblivion 
and to perpetuate their memory has been in propor- 
tion to the amount of intelligence they possessed. 
The pyramids of Egypt were built to perpetuate the 
names and deeds of their great rulers. The exhu- 
mations made by the archeologists of Egypt from 
buried Memphis indicate a desire of those people 




to perpetuate tlie memory of their achievements. 
The erection of the great obelisks were for th.e same 
purpose. Coming down to a later period, we find the 
Greeks and Romans erecting mausoleums and monu- 
ments, and carving out statues to chronicle their 
great achievements and carry them down the ages. 
It is also evident that tlie Mound-bu'lders, in piling 
up their great mounds of earth, had but this idea — 
to leave soncthing to show th.it they had lived. All 
these works, though many ot them costly in the ex- 
treme, give |jut a faint idea of the lives and charac- 
ters of those whose memory they were intended to 
perpetuate, and scarcely anything of the masses of 
the people that then lived. The great pyramids and 
some of the obelisks remain objects only of curiosity; 
the maLisoleums, monumeuis and statues are crum- 
bling into dust. 

It was left to tiiodern ages to establish an intelli- 
gent, undecaying, immutable method of perpetuating 
a full history — immutable in that it is almost un- 
limited in extent and perpetual in its action; and 
this is through the art of printing. 

To the present generation, however, we are in- 
debted for the introduction of the ndinirable system 
of local biography. By this system every man, though 
he has not achieved what the world calls greatness, 
has the means to perpetuate his life, his history, 
through the coming ages. 

The scythe of Time cuts down all ; nothing of the 
physical man is left. The monument which his chil- 
dren or friends may erect to his memory in the ceme- 
tery will crumble into dust and pass away; but his 
life, his achievements, the work he has accomplished, 
which otherwise would be forgotten, is perpetuated 
by a record of this kind. 

To preserve the lineaments of our companions we 
engiave their [lortraits, for the same reason we col- 
lect the attainable facts of their history. Nor do we 
think it necessary, as we speak only truth of them, to 
wait until ihey are dead, or until those who know 
them are gone: to do this we are ashamed only to 
publi-ili to the world the history of those whose lives 
are unworthy of public record. 



1:J 

I:: 1 

m 



:b 



- LLII-ETTTITTtr i tlTnTTT T 




w-tTTttrimfTm 





r rttt^Tsramrnx rxxx^xt: 



mmn t ixu mmiTHiin 



■LUTTnim 

at- 1 



|i 



i 




=-;■% 



m 



ITSty?ITTTXm UlIXXI-lAT 







1 
1 




APTAIN M. M. HICK, tlio 
present Mayor of Oskalousa, 
and whor>e jwirtrait we give 
111! the oppo.-iite i)age, is a 
native of l"'ranklin County, 
( )liio, wlierc lie was horn March 
17. |s.;i;. It being generally lielievefl 
that heredity and environment have 
iniieh to do with the furmation uf charac- 
ter, and that our lives are stimulated 
by the immediate or indirect intluence 
of onr ancestors, a short resume of the 
lives of Mr. Rice's parents may serve 
the index to the liberal and humane 
inii)nlses which mark his daily life and 
which have won for him the esteem of those who 
know him. .Ia.son Uiee, his father, was a native of 
X'ermont, and possessed many of tho.se traits so 
prominent in the New Kiiglaud character. He 
emigrated to Ohio at an earlj' da>- in the historv of 
that great State, and in fact, when the territor3' was 
practically a wilderness. His wife, the mother of 
Capt. Rice, and who.se maiden name was Jnlia 
Lathrop, was a native of Connecticut, and. like 
her husband, possessed many of those remarkable 
characteristic traits of the original New Knglander. 
This couple were married in Ohio, in liSiit, and ft)r 
the following twenty years lived in that .State. They 
then came to low'a, being among the early pioneers 
of the State. 'I'iiev located for a short time in Mrihaska 



1 1 1 1 1 1 1 in 



C<junty. but removed to Keokuk Count}', where 
the elder Rice |iurchased land, opened up a farm 
and cultivated it u|) to the time of his death in IKHH. 
In politics he was an old-line Whig, but later on be- 
came a member of the Rei)ublican party. He wa.s 
an active, energetic man, and took great interest in 
the i)rouiotion of educational progress. Both him- 
self .and wife were members of the Methodist Kpis- 
copal Church. Mr. Rice's demi.se occurred Aug. 
30, 1860. His widow, however, still survives, at 
the age of seventy-six years. Of the children born 
to them three are living: Adaline, wife of L. H. 
Keys, of Colorado; Kdith, wife of \\. A. Rector, 
of Washingtf>n Count}'. Kan., and the subject of 
our sketch. 

Capt. .M. .M. Rice was educated in the common 
schools and in the Iowa \\''estern University at 
Mt. Pleasant. He grew up to manhood, active and 
patriotic, and in August, 180'2, ottered himself to his 
country by enlisting in the 40th I<jwa Infantry. This 
regiment, as the history of the late war will always 
show, saw much hard and dangerous service. We 
cannot in this brief sketch rehearse the daring deeds 
of its men, their loyal .sacrifices and heroic achieve- 
ments, but all the experiences of war were theirs, 
lu the early winter the regiment was sent to 
Columbus, Ky., thence to the Yazoo River, and 
participated in the seige and capture of Vicksburg 
in IHt;;!; from Vicksburg the regiment was sfent to 
Little I'ock. .Vrk.. crossing ii pontoon liridge <iver 



■ """; 



rTXTintni tt i 



P^ 





txx»i.xx3rxxim-tijixmtJxxrjjcTM 



ixznxxxzxx zXTZ f 



170 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



M 




the river under a heavy artillery fire from the 
enemy. They were incorporated into the Seventh 
Army Corps, and were sent South to re-enforce Gen. 
Banks, and finally, into the Indian Nation, where 
they served until the close of the war. The sub- 
ject of this sketch was promoted Second Lieutenant 
at Vicksburg, First Lieutenant at Little Rock, and 
was Captain of the company at its muster out of 
service at Ft. Gibson, Ind. Tor., at the close of the 
war. 

After tiie war, Capt. Rice returned to Keokuk 
County, Iowa, remaining two years, and in the fall 
of 1868 came to Mahaska County, and engaged in 
farming for two years, when he sold out and em- 
barked in the grocery business in Oskaloosa. In 
1871) he was elected Recorder of Deeds for Mahaska 
County, and held that position for six years. The 
March following his retirement from that office, he 
was elected Mayor of the city of Oskaloosa, and is 
now serving his second term in that capacity. The 
Captain was a charter member of Phil Kearney 
Post, No. 40, G. A. R., is a Knight Templar in 
Masonry, and a member of the K. of P. and 
I. O. O. F., in which latter order he has filled all 
the chairs in the Subordinate Lodge and Encamp- 
ment, and lias twice been elected Representative to 
the Grand Lodge of Iowa, I. O. O. F. 

Capt. Rice was married in Keokuk County, Iowa, 
May 15, 18(il. to Miss Margrette E. Carter, a native 
of Ohio. Four sons have been born to them, three 
of vvhora are living: John .T.,born March 28, 1867; 
Joe A., July li), 1S71; Charles M., April 19, 
1877; Huntley, born March 111, 1862, died in in- 
fancy. Capt. Rice has ahv.ays taken an active in- 
terest in public affairs, and as Chief Executive of 
the city, he is giving his undivided attention to the 
duties of the position he occupies, and merits and 
receives the commendations of being the best 
iq Mayor Oskaloosa ever had. 



J^" ^^OODMAN G. STROM resides on section 11, 
III ^^ Prairie Township. He was born in Nor- 
f-^^ ^^^1 "''^J'' 'T'"^"- 1' 1842, and is a son of Goodman 
and Bertha Strom, the former of whom died when 
our subject was two years old. There were six 
cjiildren in the family, as follows: Jacob, now a 

;, , t' ______ 





resident of Story Co.unty, Iowa ; Knud is a resident 
of Hamilton County, this State ; Caroline is de- 
ceased; Sarina is the wife of Soren Kelsera, in Story 
County ; Bertha is the wife of Ole AVatland, and 
Goodman G., our subject. The widow came to the 
United States with her family in 18r)8, and located 
at Salem, Henry Co., Iowa, residing there some five 
or six years, when she came to Mahaska County, 
and lives with her daughter, Mrs. Watland. 

Goodman G. Strom grew to manhoC)d on the 
farm, and in 1862 came to this county, working for 
various parties at farming until 1871, when he was 
united in marriage with Charlotte Winder, a 
daughter of James and Eliza (Allbright) Winder 
(whose biography appears elsewhere in this book), 
removing in 1872 onto the farm of eighty acres 
where he now resides. Mr. and Mrs. Strom are 
the parents of six children — Bertha M., James, 
Nancy, Garfield, Clarence and Roy. 

Politically Mr. Strom usually votes the Repul)- 
lican ticket, and his religious connection is with tiie 
Society of Friends. He is an energetic, industri- 
ous man, straightforward and honorable in all his 
transactions in life, and is an excellent citizen in idl 
respects. 



Si: I 



3; 



i-.\ 



eHARLES LEIGHTON, business manager of 
the Herald, Oskaloosa, was born in Wa- 
pello County, Iowa, Jan. 25, 1.S46. He is 
the son of Tobias and Harriet A. Leighton, a sketch 
of whom appears elsewhere in this volume. Wiien 
our subject was but an infant the family moved to 
Oskaloosa, which has since been his home. The 
common schools, together with the "Poor Man's 
College," the printing-office, were the only edu- 
cational advantages enjoyed by him, but in the lat- 
ter institution he has acquired a knowledge of men 
and events scarcely to be acquired elsewhere. 
When but fifteen years of age he left the public 
schools and entered the Herald office to serve a 
three }■ ears' apprenticeship to the printers' trade; 
before the expiration of that time, with the con- 
sent of his employer, he enlisted as a soldier in Co. 
I, 47th Iowa Vol. Inf., and serve<l from May till 
October, 1.S64. He was but one of a number who 




^^^^r-r-l 



MAHASKA COUNTY, 



unlisted from this ottiec, and somptimes it wns dif- 
licult to secure printers to issue the paper. 
■ After returning from the army Mr. Leighton 
:iuniii tooi< his phice in the office, where he remained 
I ill tile following year, when he went West, into 
MoTitana. Wyoming and Colorado, remaining five 
: years. In 1S70 he returned to Oskaloosa an<l en- 
: gaged in the lumber business, in which he coutin- 
: ued until 1.S78, the first six years alone, and then 
: with 11. C. JFooro as partner. In 1878, on the 
iloath of his brother, II. C. Leighton, he was ap- 
pointed administrator of his estate, and at once 
look business control of the Ilerakl. In January, 
1 87'.i, he i)urch;ised an interest in the office, and has 
>ince been connected svith it as business manager. 

On his return from the West Mr. Leighton was 
united in marriage with Hester A. Wray, the niar- 
liage ceremony taking place Sept. 21, 1870. Mrs. 
L. is a daugiiter of Wile3' and Hannah AVray, ancf 
was born Dec. 13, 1850, in Shelby County, Ind. 
Two children were born of this union, both of 
whom died young. Mr. Leighton is a member of 
, the M.iscmic fraternit}-, and has attained the Knight 
; Templar degree, being a member of De Paj'ens 
Commandery, of Oskaloosa. He is a thorough, 
practical l)usiness man, who as a citizen aiul friend 
commands the respect of all. Politically he is a 
•'true blue" Republican. 



illOMAS LYONS, one of the most intelligent 
and well-informed citizens of Pleasant 
Grove Township, was born in County 
Down, in the North of Ireland, in March, 18-2.5. 
He came to America when a young man, in 1848, 
located in Philadelphia, and engaged in merchan- 
dising for three years; then disposing of his busi- 
ness he went to Michigan, and after a residence of 
four years in that State came to Iowa in l^!.j.■), and 
located. On April 18, 18,50, he was united in mar- 
ri.ige with Miss Anna .1. Lester, born in his own 
county, in Ireland, and they became the parents of 
: three children, of whom David is the present rep- 
: resentiitive of this county in the (ieneral Assembly 
of Iowa; .\nna is deceased; .lane is the wife of 
.lames Sturiieim. .-lud live^ in X:is>au. Iowa. Mr. 




11 

;u.: 

'U : 



Lyons is an uncompromising He[)ublican, and his 
position as leader of the party in this section of the 
count3' has never been disputed. Both he and his 
wife are members of the United Presbytei-ian 
Church. 

Mr. Lyons' first purchase of laud, on coming to 
this county, was forty acres; later on he added a 
quarter section, and at the present time is the 
owner of 160 acres of some of the finest soil in the 
township. His land is in the highest state of culti- 
vation, with first-class improvements. 

Thomas Lyons is a scholar and a student, and 
possesses a large fund of information on all topics 
of general interest. He has the haj^ijy faculty of 
being able to express himself readily and foi'cibl3-. 
He is of genial disposition, and his home is one of 
genuine hospitality, where friends and acquaint- 
ances delight to go, and where they receive a gen- 
erous welcome. 

yALLACK T. WOLCOTT is a member of 
the firm of Wolcott ife Jackson, dealers in 
fresh and salt meats. New Sharon. He 
was born in Monroe Countj', N. Y., Oct. 18, 184(!. 
His parents, C. M. and Margaret (Parker) Wolcott, 
were also natives of the Empire State, and were 
there united in marri.age in 1842. In the 3-ear 
1855 the familj- came to Iowa, settling in Powe- 
shiek County, where the^' engaged in farming. 
The father died in October, 1884; the mother is 
still living, and resides in Greele3- Count3-, Neb. 
There were seven children in this famil3': Martin 
P., Wallace T., Lyman; Belle is the wife of J. C. 
Bagg, and lives in (;reele3- Count3-, Neb.; Wheeler 
died at the .age of thirty-two years; Leman and 
Diana. 

The subject of this sketch, Wallace T. Wolcott, 
was reared on the farm, educated at the public 
schools of Montezuma, and subsequently taught 
school a few terms. In 1803 he began mercantile 
life as a clerk in a general store in Montezuma, and 
Continued in that Imsiness until 1800, when he es- 
Udilislu'd a restaurant at Montezuma, and followed 
that business for eighteen months. He then re- 
lic was engaged in 




moved to Forest llonio. when 







i 



II 







!l,iini l\l^ 




»itS®n 



-iniir^nrxxiimriruTuiiixir 



iTnrmrxTxixrm rirmnuii 



172 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



I 
I 



general merchandising' until 1N75, when he removed 
his business to Ewart; he then, in 1.S7S, disposed 
of his goods and removed to Ronks County, Kan., 
where he homesteaded IGO acres of land, and took 
up a lilve amount as a timber claim. The crops 
proved a failure, and he returned to Iowa in 1881, 
located in New Sharon, and has since conducted a 
meat-market in that eit3', and is doing- a most ex- 
cellent Ijusiness. 

In .Inly, ls7<>, Mr. Wolcott was married to Mar^- 
K. Ivisor, a daughter of .James and Lavina Kisor, of 
this county. .She was born in Knox County, Ohio, 
Oct. 1"-'. IS tit. They are tiie i)arents of eight 
children, four yet living — William, Kdith, .lames 
and Alice. 

Mr. Wolcott is a member of Mahaska Lodge No. 
."i.S(i. A. F. ife A. M., of which he is the Secretary-. 
In his political afliliations lie is a niendier (if the 
National Greenback party. He was Postmaster at 
Forest Home for seven jears, and has also served 
as Township Clerk and .Justice of the Peace. 

Mr. Wolcott is very [Kipulai- anidng tlic people 
wliere he resides, and has made his [iresent business 
a success where others have signally faileil. He is 
a pleasant gentleman in liis social and business re- 
lations, honorable and upright in his dealings with 
liis fellow-men, and respected and esteemed gen- 
erally. 

^OHN /AKlN(i is a retired farmer living on 
section 1), Cedar Township. He was born 
in Oldham County. Ky.. Oct. S, isod, and 
is the son of Phillip and Massa Zaring. 
The^' were natives of Pennsylvania, and emigrated 
to Indiana at a very earlj- date in the settlement of 
that place, and lioth died there. .John Zaring came 
to this county in the fall of l.St'J. He was mar- 
ij ried to Martha Little in IHiC. She was the daugh- 
i| ter of Ale.Kaudei' and Rachel (Hiibin^ou) Little. 
whom died in Washington County, lud., 
where she was born in 1804. Mr. and Mrs. Zaring 
are the pai-ents of ten children — William ^\^, Kli, 
Eliza .].. Alexander. Lydia, Alvin. Rachel. Sarah, 
Philip and .1. W . The mother of these children 
died .Vpril I, l.s7L 

Mr. Zariug is a member of the Methodist Episco- 



Sfc3 both of 



m^ 





pal Church, and a Republican politicallj-. He is the 
ownei- of a ([uarter section of fine hind, all in good 
cultivation, with the best class of imiirovements. 
He has retired from the active pursuit of his lite- 
long occupation, and has a sufticiencj' to enable him 
to enjoy his declining j^ears in a comfortable, pleas- 
ant way. He has been a long-time resident here, 
and in all these years no blot or stain has appeared 
to mar his excellent reputation as a Christian gen- 
tleman and citizen. 



!-*-#■" 



-^ 



ENRY W. LUNT, a wealth}' and intlucntial 
farmer and stock-grower, owns and occupies 
a fine estate on section 24, in Richland psj 
Township. He is a native of the (4reen |ii 
Mountain State, having been born in Orleans jSi 
County, .lau. 7. 1 s;5U. His father, .Johnson Lunt, |^]i 
w-as born in Littleton, N. II., Aug. 25, 170(j 




Hei! 



is a farmer b}' occupation, and is still living at the 5|i 
old homestead in \'ermont. The mother of our J^i 



subject, Mrs. Sarah (Boynton) I^unt, was born 



1 

1 

in Compton, Lower Canada, in 18()G, and is yet siji 
living. There were eleven children in the family, Ih 
all of whom grew to niiituritj', and ten are still liv- 3^1 
ing, the youngest being forty years of age: liar- Si 
riet, the widow of William Dearborn, lives in Or- 
leans County, Vt. ; Elias lives in Boxton, Mass. ; Sfjj 
Charles lives in Orleans County, ^ t., as does alsi 
.4manda, the wife of Juel Dustin ; Moses and Aaron J-: 
reside in .Jasper Count3^ Iowa; Heiiiy W., of this 5? 
sketch; Asa lives in Prairie Township, this count}'; :!; 
Gardner died in Richland Township in 1882, leav- 3 
ing a familj^; Mar}- Jane, Mrs. George Parlington, | 
and Emma, the wife of Lewis Nye, live in Orleans | 
County, ^'t. ;: 

Henry W. Liint, the subject of this sketch, was 
lirought u|) on the farm, receiving in the meantime 
an excellent comiuon-school education. He left 
his native State in 18.57 for the West, and came as 5^1 
far as Logan County, 111., where he remained a few 
years, W(_)rking by the montii. In LSlll he was 
united in marriage with Miss .Mattic W., a daugh- J^j 
ter of Robert W. and Mary Ann (Rumford) Gard- Bel 
ner. Mrs. Lunt wa> born in Milmington, Del., and 
removed with her parents to Illinois in 1851. Our 



ilt'i 













'K'HH'r'i-'r^ 



1 JJrrirr rm rriTriTt » 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



\- 

w 
"i 
1 ; 

i;i 
a? 

'I 

■is 

1 
■ 1 



1 
1 



ti:: 
T : 
1:: 
1 : 
I : 
i:: 

1 ; 
1 : 
1 : 

\ : 
!:■: 
V-: 
v: 



Ti - 
1. : 



subject nn<l his wife me the paronts of five ehil- 
(li-cn— Johnson H., Klba .Ttuie, Walter Leslie. Will- 
iam C'olb}' and Mattie K. 

.Vfter marriage Mr. Liint entered !)fi() acres of 
land in Thayer County, Neb., but eontinued to re- 
side in Logan County. III., and purchased land 
there after having disposed of his Nebraska lands, 
and farmed the same until IHT'.I, when he solil 200 
acres of his farm to Willianj Scully for $9,700; the 
remainder .was disposed of to otiier parties. Fol- 
lowing this sale he came to Iowa, and purchased 
;500 acres v( land. The home farm now consists of 
.SIO acres of the best land in Kiehhiu<l Township, 
all in a high state of cultivation, with splendid im- 
provements of all kinds. Mr. Luut devotes his 
principal attention to the raising of Clj'desdale 
lK)rscs. 

roliticall^- our subject is a IJemocrat. \\hile in 
Illinois lie served as Township Assessor and School 
Director, and since coining to Iowa has been Jus- 
tice of the I'eacc, and is at present one of the 
Trustees of the townshii). lie is Secretary of the 
Iowa Detective Association, and one of the Direct- 
ors of the New Sharon District Fair. He was 
made a Mason at Lincoln, 111., in l.Sljy, but is now a 
member of Central Lodge at Peoria, lovia. He is a 
man of more than usual ability, as his success in 
life attests. He if a progressive farmer and public- 
spirited citizen, and takes a genuine interest in the 
welfare of the country at large. 

■^^^:^>^-^^ 

ON. DA^TD L. LYONS, of Pleasant Grove 
Tow'nship, was born in Oakland County, 
Mich., in 1851, and is the .son of Thomas 
and Ann (Lester) Lyons (whose biography 
see elsewhere in this i)Ook). He is the eldest child 
'-f a family noted for their intelligence, sound judg- 
ment and sterling worth. He arrived in Iowa with 
his parents, Feb. l.'i, 18.");'), and lived upon the farm 
with his father until he became of age, receiving in 
the meantime a good education. 

He was united in marriage with ilifs .lane llaz- 
lett, .March 4, 1874, and they are now the pareiit> 
of four childicii : l-iluier T., born Aug. I s, ls7li; 





Samuel R., March G, ls7'.t; Walter C. 
l.SHl, and Olive, July 10, 1884. 

.Mr. Lyons is a member of the Republican party, 
jind at the eh'ctiun held Nov. ."i, iss,'). was elected 
Reiireseiitative in the (ieneral Assembly of Iowa, 
in which position he ae(iuitted himself in a manner 
creditable to himself and constituent>. 

Our subject is the owner of l(!(i acres of good 
land, under excellent cultivation and well improved. 
In addition to his own land he cultivates a large 
portion of that belonging to his father. 

David Lyons comes of that sturdy stock. North 
of Ireland people, who [lossess unusual force of 
character, and a large amount of unadulterated 
common sense. His convictions upon all questions, 
moral or otherwise, ari' of the po.sitive order, ami 
he is equall}' as positive in the expression of his 
views. He has been very successful in life, the re- 
sult of energy, industry and good management. 
He is an estimable citizen in all respects, and en- 
joys the confidence of a large circle of friends. 



jf^ RNEST II. (. 11U5S, capitalist of Oskaloosa. 
ra is one of the prominent and representative 
Jir^ men of Mahaska County. He is a native of 
iSIa-ssachusetts, born in Blandford, Feb. 10, 1848, and 
is the son of Israel M. and Cleotha V. (Fitch) Oibbs, 
the former also a native of Blandford, Mass., but 
of English descent, tr.acing his connections to an 
old family in Yorkshire, Kngland. His grand- 
father Gibbs was a wealthy farmer, possessing an 
estate of nearlj' 1,000 acres adjacent to the city of 
Blandford. He was a buyer and shipper of stock, in 
which he was veiy successful, realizing a handsome 
fortune. 

The subject of this sketch was reared in his na- 
tive town, where he attended the common schools 
until he was .seventeen years old, and then entered 
upcui a course of ?liidy at Wesleyan Academy, 
W'ilbraham, Mass. From llieie he was .sent by his 
father to Fairlield Sfiiiinary, at Little Falls, N. V., 
hut Instead of remruning there he continued oii his 
w;iy West, practically rumiing away, and going to 
.\mboy, ill., where lie hail relati\cs. He i)ros- 
pected ariiinul for some time and then purchased at 




fm^n 



m 

mi 



'i&GCB,i 



^^: 



UXEKi: 



KZXllIltiilllJIi 






C i.iJL3a lUL i.i n 




Kr& 



:i rxxxx3 txxx xxxrx:) I xix_ t 



I^jj^ 'iixixixxuLzxrinajiTimaxi::!., 



&2XXX_IIITII> 



174 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



i: 




Aj 



auction a piece of [)njpert>' near the city limits, 
which he sold at snftlcient profit to give him a good 
start without any investment. He then entered the 
P^xchange Bank of Amboy with George Ryan, 
where he remained fur two years, until August, 1868. 
From Amboy he went to Parkersburg, Iowa, and 
in company with his brother, I. M. Gibbs, opened 
an Exchange Bank and did a large collection busi- 
ness over a wide extent of territory. Thirteen 
niiintiis later he disposed of his interest there, came 
to Oskaloosa, and established the Union Savings 
Bank, in compan^^ with a cousin. Dr. II. L. Gibbs, 
and the brother with whom he had been formerly 
.associated. They operated until 1874, when the 
Doctor withdrew, the busi«ess being conducted un- 
der the firm name of Gibbs Bros., in the building 
now occupied b}' Mr. Gibbs and the Farmer's and 
Trader's National Bank, which they erected that 
year for banking purjjoses. Three years later, Mr. 
Gibbs organized the Farmer's and Trader's Bank, 
but soon afterward withdrew that he might give 
his attention solely to his private business. In 1882, 
Mr. Gibbs, in company with Judge Crookham and 
others, was instrumental in the organization of tire 
Mahaska County Bank, and the Oskaloosa Insur- 
ance Company, the latter sul)sequently being trans- 
ferred to Des Moines. 

Shortly after becoming a citizen of Oskaloosa, 
Mr. Gibbs was united in marriage, April 1, 1871, 
with Miss Martha J. White, a daughter of John 
and Martha J. White. (See sketch of John White). 
Of this union there was one sou, who was born Feli. 
12, 1874, and died Aug. 11, 1876, and one daugh- 
ter, Nellie, born Sept. 21, 1877. 

Since coming to Oskaloosa Mr. Gibbs has led a 
very .active life, and in every enterprise calculated 
to build up or advance the interest of the place, he 
has been a leading spirit. Without disparagement 
to others, it can tiuthfully be said that in the mat- 
ter of public and private buildings, he has done 
more for Oskaloosa than any other citizen. The 
fine brick block now occupied liy II. L. Spencer 
& Co., wholesale grocers, was erected by him; also 
the Times Block, which was destro^'ed b}' lire Dec. 
22, 1886. At the time of its destruction Mr. Gil)bs 
was in Chicago. On receipt of a telegram giving 
an account of the fire, he hastened home, and witliin 



I 



two hours after his arrival, had twenty men work- 
ing at the ruins, and within sixty daj's had the 
building re-erected and ready for occupancy. Such 
enterprise is indeed commendaljle. In erecting this 
building in the dead of winter, with the thermome- 
ter half the time below zero, he showed what could 
be done when there was a will back of it. In 
building at that season of the j'ear, Mr. Gibbs gave 
employment to many to whom the work was a 
(iod-send, enaljling them to provide more com- 
forts for their families than were usually enjoyed 
during the inclement season. 

In the building of the Rock Island and othei' 
railroads now centering in Oskaloosa, Mr. Gibbs 
took an active part, devoting much of his time and 
more of his money to secure their construction to 
this place. In the various banking and manufac- 
turing enterprises he has invested liberall3' of his 
means, and is a stockholder in the greater number. 
Since the death of his father-in-law, John White, 
Mr. Gibbs has carried out the plan of the latter in 
issuing scholarships in Oskaloosa College, which are 
donated to those persons who are made eligible for 
such gifts under the college law. In this way he is | 
doing great good. i 

Politically Mr. Gibbs is a Democrat, one who 
believes strongly in the principles of that p.arty, 
and who is ever ready to give a reason for the faith 
that is in him. As a Democrat, his counsel is 
sought by the leaders of the party in both county S i 
and State. He was mainly instrumental in estab- 
lishing the Oskaloosa Times, the onl^' Democratic 
paper in the county, and for a short time was its 
editor. That he designed the paper should be a 
permanent fixture in Mahaska Count}' politics, is 
evidenced from naming the block in wliich it is 
printed, the "Times Block." 

Though defeated in the State Convention as a 
delegate to the National Convention in 1880, it was 
on account of his known adherence to Mr. Tilden. 
He was, however, elected an alternate. In 1884 
he was chosen a delegate to the National Demo- 
cratic Convention on .account of his devotion to 
Tilden, he being his claim until he retired from the 
field, when he was for Cleveland, recognizing that | [ 
uiliiout New York his party could not succeed, 
and believing that Cleveland could carrj' that 




LiT^c'rT^f'l 



hr'r'r'r'rl 



: imuxmiutTrxxi 



ti^SS 







MAHASKA COUNTY. 



17. J 




State. Tlioiigli now out of politics, Mr. Oibbs h.is 
siTved as :i nieml)er of Stjite Central Committees, 
and Chairman of Congressional and County Com- 
mittees. 

As a gentleman who has materially aided in the 
worthy business projects of this community, Mr. 
(libbsis highly valued. As a neighbor ;uid citi- 
zen, he is fulfilling all his obligations in a highly 
creditable and faithful manner. The family occupj' 
;i handsome residence, surrounded by all the com- 
forts anil many of the luxuries of life. 

RS. HARRIET AVILLHOITE, of Adams 
Townshij), was born in Owen County, Ky., 
Feb. G, 1823, and came to this county in 
1 844. She was married, April 1 3, 1 843, to 
James M. Willhoite, also a native of Owen County, 
Ky., born Oct. 24, 1817, and who died in this 
County April 8, 1857. He was reared and edu- 
cated in his native county'. In 1851 he came to 
Iowa, located in Mahaska County, and engaged in 
farming and stock-raising. He was a good man in 
every sense of the word, a loving and indulgent 
husband and father, a kind neighbor, and a valued 
member of the community. 

Mr. and Mrs. Willhoite became the parents of 
seven children, as follows: John H., born Nov. 1, 
1844, married Miss Cynthia Green and lives in 
Adams Township; Mary E., born Aug. 21, 184G, 
married Marion Bass and is living in Pratt Connty, 
Kan.; William T., bom Aug. 31, 1848, died the 
same V'car; Willis J., boru Oct. 25, 1849, married 
Miss Josie Wymore, and is living in Adams Town- 
ship; Lucy A. was born Oct. 2, 1852, and died in 
1859; James W., born Nov. 8, 1854, died in 1870; 
Miranda M., bom Maj^ 31, 1850, "married Byron 
Parr, and is living in Monroe Township. 

Mrs. Willhoite came to this county in the days 
when luxuries were unkuown, and when it was a 
continuous struggle to obtain that which was es- 
sential to health and fair living. If it required 
courage on the part of a man to brave the hard- 
ships and privations of pioneer life, what did it not 
require on the part of woman to endure these same 
trials.'' In everv instimcc where .sacrifice was nec- 



essary, the i)ioneer women seldom failed in courage 
and endurance, and the country is indebted for its 
development and progress as much to the noble 
wives and mothers, who performed their duties 
bravely and faitiifiilly, as to the sterner sex who 
wielded the ax and guided tlie plow. Those days 
have now passed with the subject of this sketch, 
who is living in peace iind plenty' at the old home- 
stead she assisted in establishing, and, surrounded 
by her children and a host of warm friends, dwells 
as mucli in the i)ast, perhaps, as in the present. 
Mrs. Willhoite is a member of the Baptist Church, 
with which she became connected thirty-flve years 
ago. 

Henry B. Stringfellow, father of Mrs. Willhoite, 
was born Jan. 19, 1790, in Cul[)epcr Count3% Va., 
and died July 2, 18,S4; Elizabeth Stringfellow, his 
wife, was boru Oct. 11, 1800, in Stafford County, 
Va., and departed this life in March, 1876. They 
were married in Franklin Countj% Ky., March 20, 
IS 17, and in 1822 united with the Baptist Church, 
with which the}' were connected the remainder of 
their lives. With one exception all their children 
were born in Owen County, Kj-., and the record is 
as follows: M. S. was born March 2, 1818; J. A. 
S.. Jan. 2. 1820; H. S., Feb. (i, 1823; M. J. S., Feb. 
10. 182G; E. ¥. .S., July 15, 1827; A. E. S., May 
13, 1832; J. H. S., Aug. 19, 1834; G. W. S., Aug. 
16, 1837; W. B. S., the j'oungest, was bom in Ma- 
ha.-ika County. 



^/AMES WINDER, decea.sed, the second man 
to settle at New Sharon, was a native of 
Ross Countjs Ohio, and was born on the 19th 
day of March, 1812. He was raised a farmer 
boy until he arrived at the age of eighteen years, 
when he left the farm and learned the trade of 
carriage-making. 

Five years later, Oct. 22, 1835, he was united 
in marriage with Eliza Allbright, who was born in 
Wyoming County, N. Y., .May 26, 1813. They 
liecame the parents of eight children, one of whom 
died in childhood and seven attained their majority, 
as follows: William W. is a barber at New .Sharon; 
Francis resides at Oskaloosa; Nancy is the wife of 
Jared Rockwell, at New Sharon; Hope became the 




M 



11 



ill! 



\im 




HTXiTxxnr; 



J.1 mi im' 



xxxraDxrxrmrnnTmrm 




[ rapui m-n 



rxi cTZJXi iXJXT HTrrrT - 



rt IrmxixirxmirxnmiiTrxmi 



170 



MAHASKA COUiSITY. 



wife of Benton Rakestiaw, and died Jul}' 25, 1868; 
Charlotte is the wife of (ioodnian Strom, and lives 
in Prairie Township; .loseph A. resides in Dickin- 
son C'onnty, Kan.; Aimer J. is railroading in Kan- 
sas. 

In IHob JMr. Winder removed to Champaign 
County, Ohio, and woiked at carriage-making until 
18,o2. when he loaded his family and household 
goods int(_> a covered wagon and started for the 
further West. After a journey of twent3-one 
days they arrived in Mahaska County, and settled 
on a farm at Center (J rove, near the present city 
of Oskaloosa. Here he jjurchased about seventy 
acres of land, on which the familj' resided while 
]\Ir. Winder worketl at carpentering. In 1857 he 
sold his little farm, and removed to what is now 
New Sharf)U, where he Had erected the second dwell- 
ing in the place. He continued to work .at the car- 
|)enter trade as long as his health permitted, and 
departed this life Aug. 21, 1881. His wife still 
survives, and resides at New Sharon. 

In his political affiliatious Mr. \\'inder was in 
eaily life a Whig, and afterward a Republican, and 
was frequently honored bj' the people with im- 
l)ortant local offices. Religiously he was a member 
of the Soeietj' of Friends. Mr. Winder was the 
lirst Postmaster at New Sharon and the first mer- 
chant of that little cit}'. He will be remembered 
b\- many of our earlier settlers as a man of excel- 
lent Christian character, industrious, hard-working, 
strictly conscientious, and in all respects a man of 
estimable character. 



~ta£j2A^^^ 



.^-SWoTIi.. 




()N. THOMAS R. OILMORK, proprietor of 
1,030 acres of valuable land in Harrison 
Township, resides on section o5, where he is 
extensively engaged in farming and stock- 
raising. He was born in Ohio, April 30, 1825, be- 
ing a son of Francis and Sarah (McBride) Oilmore, 
both natives of County Cavin, Ireland. Their par- 
ents came to America while they were children, 
and settled in Oliio while it was yet a wilderness, 
and the gieater [jortion of it occupied by Indians. 
They were united in marriage near Cadiz, Ohio, 



Dee. 20, 1811, and of the union there were born 
seven children, as follows : William (decea.sed). Mar- 
garet, John, JIary A. (deceased), Sarah. Thomas 
R. and Samuel. The mother of our subject died 
in 1840, and her husband, Francis Gilmore, in 1840. 
Thomas R. (ii'.more, accompanied by his brother 
Samuel, emigrated from Ohio to this county in 

1853, where both have since made their home. 
The greater part of the farm of our subject is in a 
high state of cultivation. The buildings and other 
improvements are the finest in all that section of 
the county, and it may be truthfully said that, tak- 
ing this farm as a whole, it has no superior in this 
county. 

The marriage of Thomas R. Oilmore and ^liss 
Catherine IMilligan, a native of Tuscarawas Ck>unty 
Ohio, was celebrated on the 7 th of November, 

1854, and after a brief interval of happy married 
life, the j-oung wife died a few months later, on 
June 7, 1855. Mr. (4ilmore was the second time 
man-ied. Jlay 12, 1800, to Miss Ellen Steele, a na- 
tive of Ireland, and of this union there were born 
four children: Clara E., now the wife of James T. 
Koger; \\illiam R. ; Jessie D., the wife of R.J 
Woody, and Charles ^'. The latter died Dec. 20, 
1884. The mother of these children died Sept. 1, 
1873. On the 29th of December, 1875, our subject 
was married to his present wife, formerly France- 
nia E. Wilson, and to them have been born two 
children — Harry AV. and JIabel C. 

Mr. Oilmore is a man of liberal education, pos- 
sessing broad and intelligent \'iews upon the lead- 
ing questions of pulilic interest. At the earlj- age 
of fifteen years he began a classical course of study 
at New Athens, Ohio, but afterward changed to 
Jefferson College, whence he graduated in 1 84G 
with the honors of his class. After graduation he 
spent a few months teaching, and then engaged in 
farming and stock-raising, which he has since fol- 
lowed. Of the latter Ijranch of business he makes 
a specialty, raising and shipping large numbers of 
cattle and horses annually. 

Politically Mr. Gilmore is a Republican, and 
though not an office seeker, has been twice honored 
by the suffrage of his fellow-citizens. In 1874, by 
reason of the removal from the State and resigna- 
tion of Hon. James A. Young, Mr. Gilmore was 



; ii 



M 



elected Senator to fill the vaennoy thn:* occasioned, 
and in the year l.sT.'i was re-elected, and served a 
full term of fonr years in the General Assembly of 
Iowa, filling this honorable position in a creditable 
manner. Both himself and wife are inlliicntial 
members of the Tnited Presbyterian Chnrch. 



#^- 



--v 



f^^ a. TURNER, the "village blacksmith" of 

^^^ Oskaloosa, was born in Hemphill County, 

"|l^j) Mass., April 20, lf<27, and is a son of .lohn 

— and Hettie (French) Tnrner. .John Tnrner, 
a native of Lancashire. England, came to America 
when a yonng man. In the old eonntry he was a 
boss si)inner in a woolen factory. His wife was a 
native of .Massachnsetts. They were the parents of 
two. children, our subject, and Lyman, who is de- 
ceased. Mrs. Turner died when our subject w.as a 
child, and his recollection of his mother is very 
faint. His father was again married, at Conway. 
Mass., to Miss Emily F. Fuller, and the three chil- 
dren born to them have all passed aw'ay. In 1S4:) 
John Turner removed to .Sumner County, 111., 
where he died the following year; Mrs. Turner died 
in 18(50. Upon the death of his mother the sub- 
ject of this sketch was adopted by Robert Robert- 
son, b}' whom he was reared to manhood. He at- 
tended the common schools of that day in the old- 
fashioned log cabin, with its open fireplace and slab 
seats without backs. When young he began to 
learn blacksmithing, and being a natural mechanic, 
learned it rapidly and thoroughl3^ 

At the breaking out of the Mexican ^^'ar. Mr. 
Turner enlisted in the .5th Indiana Infantrj-, which 
was recruited by the (afterward) celebrated Gen. 
.lames Lane, of Kansas notoriety. The regiment 
was made up and sent to (tcu. Scott in Mexico, 
and our subject served with the command until the 
close of the war, when he returned to Indiana. Feb. 
7, 184'J, he was married to Miss Hannah, a daugh- 
ter of Moses and Jane (Adair) Buutain. She was 
born in Highland County, Ohio, .July 1, IS.'JI, and 
her father was one of the earl}' pioneers of Ohio. 
Mr. and .Mrs. Buntaiu were the parents of eight 
children, five of whom are still living, to wit : 
Moses and Eli live in .Miami Count}", Ind. ; .Mar}- 





1:1 



A. became the wife of Robert Robertson; Jane is } 
Mrs. Iliram Mowry, of Cass County, Ind., and [ 
HaiMiali. M\: Buutain was a soldier in the W.ar of ft^S 
\si-2. antl died when Mrs. Tnrner was a small child. 
Her mother was a member of the Baptist Church, - ^g^ ^ 

Mr. and .Mrs. Turner soon after their marriage U 
went to Fulton County, 111., where our subject }: 
built a shop and followed his trade for several 
years. F'rom there he removed to Miami County, 
Ind., jind subsequently to Big Rapids, Mich., and 
in .luue, I Hfifi, to Otronto, Wis. Two years later, 
in isiis. he cMuu' to Oskaloosa. where he has since 
resided. During the late war he was drafted, but 
was exempted by reason of having been a soldier 
in the Mexican War. In early life he was an abo- 
liti<mist, but affiliated with the Republican party 
upon its organization. At present he is an ardent 
supporter of the Greenback faith. He has never 
held nor desired office at the hands of his fellow- 
men. 

Mr. and Mrs. Turner became the parents of 
seven children, five living: Henry I., a blacksmith 
in Oskaloosa, married .Miss Mattie Ferris; Emma is 
the wife of ^liles K. Prine, of this county; Delia is 
Mrs. Wilbur .Johnson, .and Anna, Mrs. William 
White, both of Oskaloosa; Jacob Ileeuau is a black- 
smith of this city; he married Miss Palma Prine. 

Mr. Turner has led a busy life, and since his re- 
tirement from active labor h.as traveled extensively. 
He receives a handsome pension from the Gov- 
ernment for his services in the Mexican W.ar. He 
enjoys the confidence and esteem of all who know "m't^ 
him. and, surrounded as he is by his children, en- Jg Jjj 
joys that leisure and comfort to which his age and 






m% 
m 



the services 
him. 



rendered his country justly entitle 



pi 




J. UPTON, of Adams Township, was born 
in County Antrim, Ireland, Oct. 21, 1822. 
He came to America with his parents in 
1829, first settling in the .St;ite of New York, and 
remained there nntil he reached the age of twentj'- 
three years. He then removed to Ohio, where he 
lived six 3'ears, and thence to Illinois, whence after 
three years he came to this county, in 18.5-1, where 
he has since continuously made his home. 

-Mr. Upton has been twice married. His first 






^flX jJ^^I^ 'r riT rTT r x *r* TT TT Tl ml 1 



[ 1JL2 ZXXUl XXi XTXri I 



virrxxxrrr 



^m 



2.WM., 



178 




MAHASKA COUKTY 



a 



ii 



2 



wife, Laura E. Pangborn, to whom he was married 
May 24, 1845, was a native of New Yorlv, born 
Aug. 24, 1820. She died in this county Jan. 28, 
187G. By this union there were born nine chil- 
dren, of whom the record is as follows : Cj'nthia N. 
is the wife of AVilliam Golden, of Oskalcjosa; 
Alonzo W. lives in Story County ; Mary O., Mrs. 
Alfred White, Esther A., Mrs. James White, and 
Charles A. are residents of Guthrie County; An- 
gela is in Logan, formerlj^ St. John County, Kan. ; 
Lucy is the wife of George Graham, and lives at 
Pleasant Plain, Iowa; Hiram B. resides in Logan 
County, Kan. ; William E. is at home. The second 
marriage of Mr. LTpton occurred Feb. 10, 1879, 
with Mrs. Amelia C. (Wells) Tudor, the widow of 
George Tudor. By her first marriage there was 
born one child, George, and by this marriage there 
have been three children — AVarren E., Merrill and 
Ernest M. 

Mr. Upton, originally a Whig, is a member of the 
Republican party. His religious connection is with 
the Presb3'terians, and Mrs. Upton is a member of 
the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Upton's first 
purchase of land in this county was 120 acres, to 
which he has added until his home farm now con- 
sists of 280 acres of fine land, in excellent cultiva- 
tion and well improved. Our subject has been 
fairly successful in his present occupation ; has good 
business ability and is an excellent manager. He 
is highl3- esteemed by friends, neighbors and ac- 
quaintances. 



M: 



<^ )^;ILLIAM P. SOPHER, an efficient minister 
of the Society' of Friends, owns a comfort- 
able homestead on section 33, Spring Creek 
Township. He was born in Mahaska County, Iowa, 
March 24, 1852, and is a sou of William K. and 
Agnes Sopher (whose biogi'aphy see elsewhere in 
this volume). 

The subject of this sketch was married, Oct. 4, 
1875, to Anna, daughter of Dr. David and Rachel 
Coulson, of this county. By this union there have 
been four children : Mary H., born Sept. 4, 1871; 
Jesse L., Aug. 20, 1873; Hattie and Bertha, de- 
ceased. 

Mr. Sopher owns ninety-eight acres of excellent 



land, all well improved, with good buildings and 
other appurtenances, and in an advanced state of 
cultivation. Himself and wife are both members 
of the Society of Friends, of which he has been a 
devoted minister for eight years. Mr. Sopher is 
Republican in politics, and takes an active interest 
in the success of his partj\ Aside from being 
Road Supervisor of his township, he has never held 
office. He is descended from good stock, is a man 
of a high order of literary ability-, zealous and ef- 
ficient in the work of the ministry, and by his words 
and works is leaving his impress for good upon his 
fellow-men as he passes along the path of life. 
While he receives the commendation of friends 
here, it will be said of him after awhile, when the 
book shall be opened, ■• Well d(me, good and faith- 
ful servant." 



.-s->- 



i 

u 
11 

Sli 

It- \ 
:\\ 

5-[i 
2.V 

S-h 



5^ a 
i 



I! 



t>^^^:i^\t>^^'<:-^<- 



■^IJOHN LISTER was born in Countj' Down, 
Ireland, and came to this countrj- in 1849, 
locating at once in Pleasant Grove Town- 
ship, this county. Here he purchased 365 
acres of excellent land, has brought it to a high 
state of cultivation, and has good improvements on 
the same. 

Feb. 23, 1859, he was united in marriage with 
Miss Aseuath Northrup. They have become the 
parents of twelve children, ten of whom are living: 
Joseph C. is at home ; IMargaret J. is the wife of J. 
Wj'more, of Pleasant Grove Township; John, Will- 
iam F., Robert L., David, Thomas, Fred, Charles 
E., and an infant unnamed, are at home. Those 
deceased were James G and Asenath. 

In his political relations Mr. Lister is a Repub- 
lican, and himself and wife are members of the 
United Presbj'terian Church. He brought with 
him from Ireland a love of liberty and a laudable 
ambition to succeed in his new home. Coupled 
with these was energj', industry, and the abilit}' to 
manage his affairs prudently and economically, and 
he has succeeded in securing a fair share of the 
wealth of the world. He is a man of splendid intel- 
ligence, well posted on current topics, and able to 
discuss them in an able manner, and to give a reason 
for the opinions he has upon any and all subjects. 



a 

3i 










m 



^ ■ //■ c/^^^^>-nn 



irrriCTi-mi 



r-ir^Hr^r^^ 



[1 iTTTil'^'^rii 



M 




MAHASKA COUXTY. 



181 



€APT. L. J. ALLEX, Chief Maislinl of the 
eitj' of Oskaloosa, was born in Uatli, Steuben 
Co., X. Y., Jul}- 31, 1.S33, and is the sou of 
Jesse and Sarah (Lanniuu) Allen, natives of Xew 
Ilanipsiiire, who settled in Steuben Count}- at an 
early day. About the year 1 840 they removed to 
Oakland County, ^licli., where they remained until 
1S4S, when they removed to Iowa, and are at pres- 
ent living in Deeatur Count}'. They are the par- 
ents of four sons and one daugliter: Charles, a 
farmer of Decatur County, lowu; Oliver P., of Cur- 
rant Creek, Col., who has been a member of the 
Legislature of that St.ate; L. J., our subject; Ed- 
ward, a soldier in the late war in the 3d Iowa Cav- 
alry, who, while serving in Arkansas, received in- 
juries by the falling of his horse that have disabled 
liim for life ; Albert J., also a soldier in the late war, 
was a member of Co. B, 19th Iowa \'ol. Inf., and 
particii)ated in all the engagements of that com- 
mand. He was taken prisoner at ^lorganzie Ba}-, on 
the MississipiJi and sent to Pai-a, Tex. The rebels 
robbed their jirisoners of their shoes, and their line 
of march cijuld lie followed by a trail of blood. He 
is a resident of Decatur County, Iowa, where he 
has been twice elected to the office of Sheriff. Jlr. 
and Mrs. Allen arc at presmt vcsidint! in Leon, De- 
catur Co. Iowa. 

The subject of this sketch received his education 
in the common schools. He was married at Fair- 
field, Iowa, in 1856, to Miss Martha Xoble. Two 
ciiildren are the result of this union, Curtis and 
Everett P., who are now in Chicago, and engaged 
in the business of steel-fitting. Capt. Alien enlisted 
in 18(j2 in Co. B. I'Jth Iowa \<A. Inf., and partici- 
pated with his command in the engagement at 
Prairie Grove, Ark., and in the genei-al skirmishing 
over that State. Returning to St. Louis the regi- 
ment was ordered to \'icksburg, where they formed 
a part of the investing army, and were the second 
regiment to march into the city after its surrender 
on the Itli of July, 1 HUS. After the surrender of 
Vicksburg the regiment was ordered to Xew Or- 
leans, and formed a part of the expedition to Mata- 
moras, remaining there until nearly the close of the 
war. Our subject was in the battles of Fts. Fisher 
and Blakeley, and participated in all the charges of 
the line. He was promoted from the ranks to Sec- 



ond and First Lieutenant, and after n-ard to Cap- 
tiiin, and was mustered out at Keokuk, Iowa, at the 
expiration of his term of service. 

After the war Capt. Allen went to Fairfield, Iowa, 
but soon after removed to Ottumwa, where Mrs. 
Allen died in 1879. She was a member of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, a sincere Christian, an 
active member of the church, and highly respected 
by all who loiew her. The Captain was again mar- 
ried, in the spring of 1883, to Miss Alida Richard- 
son, a daughter of Judge Richardson, of Albia, Iowa. 
The Captain came to this city in June, 1883, and 
ill 1 886 was appointed to his present position, 
Cliief Marshal of the city. lie had previously 
served the city of Ottumwa as its Chief Marshal 
for a period of three years, and was also upon the 
police force of that city for a like term. 

Capt. Allen is a member of the G. A. R.. and was 
the first Post Commander of PhU. Kearuey Po-t. 
Xo. 40, of this city. Upon his retirement from 
that position he was presented with an elegant gold 
watch, valued at §100, as a token of esteem from his 
comrades. He is a member of the I. (). O. F., and 
Knights of Pythias, in which latter order he is Dis- 
trict Deputy Grand Chancellor and Colonel of the 
Second Regiment of the uniformed rank of that or- 
der, of which he holds a commission for four years. 
He has filled all the chairs in the I. O. O. F. and 
has represented that order in the Grand Lodge of 
the State. The Captain is a genial gentleman and 
is uniformly jiolitc to all with whom he comes in 
contact, yet is a fearless and efficient officer and dis- 
charges the duties of his position without fear, 
favor or affection. A lithographic portrait of Capt. 
Allen accompanies this sketch. 



(EORGE A. WELLS, of Wells Bros., dealers 
ill ^= in stoves and tinware, at Oskaloosa, was 
^^S( born in Knox County, Ohio, Xov. -28, 1841, 
and is the son of E. W. and ;\Iary (Arnold) Wells. 
He came to Oskaloosa with his parents in 18.51, 
and received a common-school education in the 
city schools. He afterward learned the tinner's 
trade and worked at it as a journeyman until 1 869, 
when he formed his present partnership with his 



I 
m 



HSglJ 



tWT^t rr-n-TTrt i wn rTrmrtw-WT^t[\ 



3 nixxiJtur 




KJrvti t : i'i*J 



..c^a 



,-ilJal*-, 



I 




.XXXJUTXILT 1 TX TTJJ I : 



182 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



brother, O. O. AVells. The firm carries au average 
stoclv of between §3,000 and $4,000, and shows a 
fine assortment of goods. The}' also malce a spec- 
ialty of galvanized iron work, such as cornices, 
building fronts, etc., and the many fine specimens 
<if their skill in tiiis peculiar branch in this and 
other surrounding cities, are the best possible tes- 
timonial as to their ability in this direction. 

The subject of this sketch was married at Oska- 
loosa, in January, 1802, to Miss Carrie, a native of 
Ohio, and a daughter of Dwight Riggs. Two 
children were born to this marriage, a son and 
daughter — M. Louise and E. Walter. Mrs. AVells 
died in February, 1868. July 7, 1872, Mr. Wells 
was again married, Aliss Jane Martin, a native of 
Pennsvlvauia, and a daughter of George Martin, 
becoming his wife. To this latter marriage four 
children have been born — G. Elmer, Bert, Ada and 
Raymond. Mr. Wells is a Mason and an Odd Fel- 
low. His life from boyhood has been one of un- 
ceasing labor, and what he has accumulated is the 
result of his toil and prudent management, for he 
had only the labor of his hands at the beginning, 
with a thorough knowledge of his trade as his cap- 
ital stock. As a skilled mechanic in certain 
branches of his business, he has few, if anj^, equals, 
and no superiors in this section of the State. 



^- 




P. MARTIN is a farmer residing on sec- 
tion 23, Spring Creek Township. He was 
born in Jefferson County, 111., Jan. 30, 1820, 
and is a son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Mer- 
cer) Martin, the former a native of Kentucky, and 
the latter of South Carolina. Their grandparents 
were of Scotch-Irish and English descent. The 
subject of this sketch was married to Miss Amanda 
L. Jack, born Jan. i), 1823, in AA'ayne Count}', 
Term., and a daughter of Milton and Elizabeth 
Jack. To them have been born six children : 
Mary E. is the wife of M. W. Crozier, they reside 
in Spring Creek Township and are the parents of 
eight children ; John N. married Melissa J. Sims, 
they reside in Oskaloosa, and are the parents of 
four children; Byron B. is at home; Samuel C. 
married Rose Ann Capper, they live in this county 



and are the parents of two children; William C. is 
married to Clara B. Hefifner, and has three children, 
they are living in Spring Creek Township; Charles 
P. is deceased. 

Mr. Martin is the owner of 200 acres of land, 
sevent}' of which is timber. Tlie home place of 
120 is in a most excellent state of cultivation, has 
good buildings of all kinds, and all the necessary 
appurtenances round about to make his farm a 
model one, and the home comfortable. Mr. Slartin 
is extensively engaged in raising hogs, cattle, horses 
and sheep, and bj' excellent management, good 
judgment, careful investments, prudence and econ- 
omy, has accumulated a competent'}'. Himself and 
wife are members of the Cumberland Presbyterian 
Church. Politicallv Mr. Martin is a Rei)ublican of 
the unwavering and stalwart kind, a man fully in 
accord with the advanced ideas of his party on all 
questions having for their purpose the greatest good 
to the greatest number. As a first-class citizen in 
ever}' respect no man stands higher in the esteem 
of his fellows than the subject of this sketch. 




i 



n, 1 

S 1 



-Ik 



-n 




R. B. F. McMILLEN, one of the leading 
physicians of Oskaloosa, was born in Bur- 
lington, Lawrence Co., Ohio, Nov. 13, 1820. 
His father, John McMilleu, was born in 
Derry, Ireland. His mother, Margaret (Hopkins) 
JIcMillen, was born in Waterford, Ireland. The Mc- 
Millen ancestry were Scotch Protestants, reaching 
back to the days of John Knox. The parents of 
Dr. McMillen emigrated to America in 1804, and 
their first residence was at Pittsburgh, Pa., where 
the father entered the army, and served under Gen. 
Harrison in his Ohio campaign in the War of 1812. 
He was one of the men who built Ft. Meigs. For 
his military service he received a land warrant for 
eighty acres of land, in 1852 or 1853, which he lo- 
cated in Keokuk County, Iowa, in 1853, in the land- 
office at Iowa City. 

The subject of this sketch was induced to enlist 
with his brother Alexander in a company of volun- 
teers under Capt. Charles Colericlv, at Mt. Vernon, 
Ohio, in September, 1836, to enter the Texan army 




1 
1 



Bggsp:a 



..i.T-j. 






r/ZZ/r'^/r''///^' 




MAHASKA COUNTY. 



183 



pi : 



in the war for independence. Tliey reached the 
Texan army, then a small force under Oen. Felix 
Huston, ou the Lavaca River, where the tide water 
was perceptible, and near a point now called Tex- 
ana, in November, 183)5. He was honorably dis- 
charged in the summer of 1837, and saw his brother 
die of fever in the mouth of August of that year, 
at a point now called Ilallettsville. The Doctor 
made an enclosure, with his own hands, ou that wild 
frontier to prevent the wolves from tearing open 
his brother's grave. 

While in the arm}- Dr. McMillen witnessed the 
sequel of the duel between Felix Huston and Gen. 
Albert Sj-dne}- Johnston. He saw the soldiers 
carr}- the wounded chief to camp, and heard the 
story of the fight from one of the seconds, a Maj. 
Phillips or Phelps. He also saw the bullet cut out 
of the hip of Gen. Johnston, and saw him months 
later, leaning on crutches, a sad looking wreck, ca- 
daverous and worn, standing in the door of the 

little cabin to which the soldiers had borne him. 

• 

This warrior of magnificent presence left his im- 
press on the boy's invagination never to be effaced. 
After becoming a citizen of the then Republic of 
Texas, and passing through many adventures wild 
and strange, he returned to Ohio in the spring of 
1840. After studying medicine for four 3'ears he 
l)egan his practice in 1844. His first preceptor was 
the noted Dr. Swinglcy, of Chcstcrville, Knox Co., 
Ohio. Settling permanently in Richwood, Union 
Co., Ohio, in 1847, he remained there as a laborious 
practitioner of medicine until the j'ear 1868, when 
he removed to Iowa, and settled permanently at 
Oskaloosa, in March, 1870, where he has since re- 
mained as a regular practitioner to the present 
time, August, 188G. 

On the 1st of January, 184.0, he was married to 
Miss Caroline A. Maxwell, at C.ardington, Morrow 
Co., Ohio. She was the daughter of Robert Max- 
well, a gentleman of the old school, of a slave-hold- 
ing family of West N'irginia, near Clarksburg. A 
brother. Lewis Maxwell, was a member of Congress 
from that district. Robert Maxwell lived to the 
age of ninety-two j'ears, and died at Cardington in 
the year 1883. Of the five children born to Dr. 
•and Mrs. McMillen two died in Ohio, and three are 
living in Oskiiloosa, viz. : Liston, Leoni and Lena. 





The first-named is a graduate of the Ohio Wesleyan 
University-, and a lawj-er noted for his zeal in en- 
forcing the Iowa law against the dram-sliops. 

Dr. McMillen had the good fortune, in the year 
1857, to embrace Christianity in earnest, his con-E 
version being, like many others of that jear, charac- 
terized by much of the supernatural so often seen 
among Methodist societies. He haa remained an 
enduring member of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, and is still ready at all times and places to 
confess the name of Christ and tell of His power to 
save. He esteems as his greatest loss in life the 
death of the brother he loved as his own soul. This 
was Dr. A. S. McMillen, who died in Sunbury, 
Ohio, in 1866. A costl}' monument now marks his 
last resting-place. His sou. Dr. John INIcMillen, is 
now a physician and surgeon of much eminence in 
Mt. A'ernon, Ohio. 

Dr. B. F. McMillen, our subject, has been noted 
through all the 3-ears since 1840, among those who 
have known him well, as a diligent and persistent 
student of medicine and its collateral sciences, as 
well as in general Biblical hermeueutics. He hopes 
to live long enough to present to the public a vol- 
ume c« the treatment of diseases, entitled "McMil- 
len's Reformed Medicine." The book will be de- 
signed especially to meet the wants of tlie suffer- 
ing poor, and will contain many startling innova- 
tions, as the writer has long since divested himself 
of all trammelings of schools and systems, and has 

become in an eminent degree a law unto himself. 

His theory' as now developed is, that no tolerably ^j JH 
sound [)erson of reasonable age should ever be al- -0<- -W 
lowed to perish with any acute idiopathic disease, 
but this theory does not include surgery or trau- 
matic disease. 

It should have been stated that the subject of 
our sketch is one of a numerous famil}' who have 
all passed away, and he now remains as the last of 
his race, waiting in hope for the end that comes to 
all, full of labors for the suffering poor. Provi- 
dence has granted him a moderate competence, and 
while the trumj) of fame has never heralded his 
name as one of the three mightiest, nor yet as one 
of the thirty chief ones, yet he lives in the belief 
that the blood of the Eternal covenant has made 
for him a sullicient atonement, and that he shall be 



111 




r^ 



Jm 




1 1 IT U J 1 xxitu nxg 




permitted at last to see the King in His beaut.y, and 
know tliat his name is enrolled among the mortal 
inheritors of the long immortality. 



^^^^^ 



-<3- 



eLARK G. BYRAM, 
jNIahaska Coiuitj', lo 
Country, Ohio, and a 




LARK G. BYRAM, Recorder of Deeds of 
owa, is a native of Butler 
a son of David D. Bj'ram, 
a native of Darke County, Ohio, who emigrated to 
Illinois in 1859. Prior to his removal from Ohio, 
David was married to Miss Eliza Law, a native of 
that State. He was a wagon-maker by trade, but 
when he came to Illinois he abandoned that busi- 
ness and engaged in farming, settling in jMacoupin 
County. In earlj' life he was a A\'hig, and voted 
with that party until 1856, when he supported 
James Buchanan. In 18()0 he supported Abraham 
Lincoln for President, and affiliated with the Re- 
publican party from that time until his death, which 
occurred .Sept. 28, 1882. In 1880 David Byram 
and his six sons went to the polls and cast their 
votes for James A. Garfield for President. He was 
a zealous Christian, and a consistent member of the 
old-school Baptist Church for more than forty years, 
holding during that time inauy of its important 
official pcisitions. His wife was also a member of 
that church. 

To David Bj^ram and wife were born nine chil- 
dren, all of whom are living: Milton W. is a drug- 
gist, at Fremont, this county ; Ezra P. is a carpen- 
ter, at Redwood Falls, Minn.; C. G. Byram, our 
subject; Francis N. is a minister at Fremont; Amy 
is the wife of S. H. Heiuzman, a carpenter at the 
same place; Maria B. is the wife of M. B. McEwen, a 
farmer of JSIahaska County ; James L. is a cai-penter 
at Walnut Grove, Minn ; John C. is engaged in teach- 
ing at Fredonia, Iowa; Kate A. is the wife of A. K. 
Reese, of Ottumwa, this State. Francis !\. was a 
soldier in the late Rebellion, enlisting in the 122d 
Illinois Infantry, and participated in many severe 
engagements. Ezra P. enlisted in the 14th Illinois 
Infautr3' and served until the close of the war, par- 
ticipating with his regiment in many of the leading 
and important battles of the Rebellion. Mrs. Eliza 
Byram died Aug. 12, 1876, after a long and well- 



spent life. Of the family of nine children six have 
been school teachers. 

The subject of this sketch, Clark G., was educated 
in the common schools of Macoupin County, 111. 
When twenty-one years of age he began teaching, 
following that profession more or less for twenty- 
one je.ars. He was married April 28, 1869, in Os- 
kaloosa, to Miss Sar.ih Smith, a native of Mahaska 
County, born Nov. 20, 1849, and a daughter of 
William and Marg.iret (Baird) Smith. By this 
union there were three children, one living, Frank 
W. In 1884 Mr. Byram was elected bj^ the Re- 
pxiblieans. Recorder of Deeds for this county, and 
having fulfilled its duties with credit tt> himself and 
friends, was honored with a re-nomination to the 
same position in 1886 by the unanimous vote of 
the Republican County Convention. He is a mem- 
ber of the Masc)nic fraternity. 



5^^ 



-~w ~x«jia2/©^^^| 



•/^S^aa j*v. -w^w 



li 
11 






El 

1! 



^^EORGE W. LAFFERTY, senior partner of 
III (=p the law firm of Lafferty ifc ^lorgan, Oska- 
^^51 loosa, and a resident of Mahaska Countj- 
since July ,16, 1864, was born in Mercer County, 
Pa., April 9, 1840, and is the son of AVilliam and 
Sarah A. I^afferty. His parents were both natives 
of Pennsylvania, in which State his father died in 
1854; his mother departed this life at Oskaloosa. 
Mr. Lafferty was educated at Westminster College, 
in Lawrence County, Pa., and possesses very liberal 
acquirements. He enlisted in April, 1861, as a 
member of the Mercer Rifles, which organization 
subsequently became a part of the Pennsylvania 
Reserve Corps. His first term of service was for 
ninety days. In July, 1861, he re-enlisted in the 
service for three years, and served until Maj- 31, 
1864, when he received an honorable discharge. 
During his enlistment he participated in the second 
battle of Bull Run, at Chancellorsville, Fredericks- 
burg, the battle of the Wilderness, and nian}^ other 
engagements in which his company and regiment 
took part. He served continuouslj' in the Army of 
the Potomac, and it is his proud boast that he was 
always ready for dilty, was never in the hospital, 
and never rode in an ambulance. 

After his return from the army jMr. Lafferty re- 



1 



il 











rnained only a short time at his old home and then 
came to this citj". Here he entered the law oflice 
of Hon. John R. Xeedham, ex-Lieutenant (iov- 
cinoi' of Iowa, read law for a time, and was admitted 
to the bar in October, 1805. .Sliortly after his ad- 
niissic)n he formed a partnership with his preceptor, 
which continued until the death of Mr. !Needhani, 
-luly 8, 1,S(;8. On the 1st of August of that .year, 
:i partnership was formed with Hon. J. K. Johnson, 
which association continued until his partner was 
chosen Judge of the District Court of this judicial 
district, Jan. 1, 1883. The 1st of March follow- 
ing, he formed a partnership with William II. 
Nccdhani, son of his former partner. Mr. Xeed- 
ham was a 3'oung man of very fine ability, a thor- 
ough student, and gave excellent promise of high 
rank in the near future in his profession. He was 
but fairlj' established in practice when he was taken 
ill, and died Nov. 14, 1884, having been sick only 
a few days. On the 24th of the same month, Mr. 
Lafferty formed the existing partnership with Mr. 
tieorge C. Morgan. 

The subject of this sketch is an ardent Repub- 
lican, and has taken an active part in mauj' cam- 
paigns in support of his party's nominations. He 
was elected District Attorney of this judicial dis- 
trict in the fall of 1874, entered upon the duties of 
the oflice Jan. 1, 187.J, and served until Jan. 1, 
1879. In 18GG Mr. Lafferty acted as Deputy 
Lnited States Collector of Internal Revenue for 
this count}'. He was married iu Oskaloosa, in tlic 
fall of 1805, to Miss Sina A. Fisher, a da\ighter of 
Dr. Isaac Fisher, a prominent ph3sician of this 
city. Three children were born of this marriage, 
two sons and a daughter, onlj' one of whom is liv- 
ing, George Claude, born Jan. 4, 1881. Mrs. Laf- 
ferty died in July, 1886. 

Mr. Lafferty has been connected with the Con- 
gregational Church for manj- years, is a member of 
Phil Kearney Post, G. A. R., and is a Knight Tem- 
plar MasDU, and also a member of Commander}' 
No. 0, of this cit3'. His otBce, situated immediatelj' 
over the Oskaloosa, National Bank, is an elegant 
suite of rooms, in which may be found one of the 
finest law libraries iu the State. For uearl}' twenty- 
two years he has been a member of the Oskaloosa 
bar, and iiis career as an attorney has l]een a most 



successful one. He is possessed of a high order of 
legal abilit}', is yet a close student, an indefatigable 
worker, and makes the interest of a client his own. 
As District Attorney, during his term of service, 
lie achieved an enviable reputation as public pros- 
ecutor, and w.as one among the most successful of 
those engaged in that particular business in the 
State. 




-^■# 






ON. THOMAS C. BEACH, of Garfield 
Township, was born in Jacksonville, 111., 
Jan. II, 1832, .and is a son of Caleb and 
Mary A. Beach. Mrs. Beach was a native 
of New York City, and the father, of Newark, N. 
J. Caleb Beach was born Oct. 12, 1803, and died 
in Jacksonville, 111., May 8, 1838; his wife, born 
June 29, 1807, is still living at Jacksonville, 111. 
She is a member of the Christian Church, and a 
wom.an greatlj' esteemed for her piety and good 
deeds. 

The subject of this sketch worked on the farm 
in Illinois until 1 853, when he came to this county 
and settled two miles south of Granville, purchasing 
120 acres of land, and farmed it for thirteen years, 
when, disposing of the place, he removed to section 
5, in Garfield Township, in 1866, and has lived 
there ever since. At the date of his first settlement 
in Richland Township that country was all raw 
prairie. There were very few neighbors in the 
township, and the nearest one on the east was ten 
miles awaj-. He came to Iowa, as did many others, 
because the land was cheap and good and there 
was ample opportunity for the selection of the best. 
His earl}' life was a struggle, and the first compen- 
sation he received foi* his services was 18 per 
month and board. 

JMr. Beach was married, April 17, 1853, to Martha 
Campbell, a native of Scott County, 111., born June 
3, 1833, and a daughter of Joseph and Sophia 
(Kennedy) Campbell. To them have been born 
five children: Mark W., Sept. 15, 1854, is now liv- 
ing in Richland Township; Luke, born June 17, 
1851), is a resident of Spring Creek Township; 
Thomas C, Jr., born May 4, 1858, now lives in 
Querida, Custer Co., Col., and is engaged iu mer- 



i-ssid-i^ 



m 

m 
mm 



ha 



^ Ciitdfl -'-^^-^ 



,Mi», 



186 




MAHASKA COUNTY. 



SfW 



m 




r 





chaudising; Joseph C, born Aug. 31, I860,- and 
Mary E., April 24, 1863. .Joseph Campbell was 
born in Lincoln Count.y, Ky., Ma}' 9, 1806. Sojjhia 
Kennedy was born in Casey County, Ky., Dec. 17. 
1813. They were married in aiorgan County, 111., 
Dec. 22, 1831. 

Mr. B. has 195 acres of land in his present farm, 
which is all under a high state of cultivation. He 
not only carries on the farm, but is a breeder of 
>ihort-horn cattle, and has a fine herd, among them 
representatives of the best families now on this 
continent, and keeps at all times a fine lot of calves 
for sale. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity 
and a Knight Templar. Politically he is a Repub- 
lican, and at the session of 1874-75 represented Ma- 
haska Count}' in the General Assembly of Iowa, in 
the Lower House. Mr. Beach is a man who has 
grown with the growth of this county, and has wit- 
nessed its development to its present high position 
among the counties of the State, and his life among 
us has ever been an open book that might be read 
and known of all men. He is an honorable, high- 
minded, upright citizen, a S3'stematic and successful 
farmer, and enjoys in esteem of his fellow-men. 

"^f^^ARISH CtAKNER, deceased, was born in 

entucky, near Crab Apple Orchard, Sept. 

1823. His parents died in Kentucky. 

learned the tanner's trade, and followed 

it many years, and while yet a young man removed 

to Ohio, where he became acquainted with and was 

united in marriage to Miss Catharine Payne, who 

was born in Belmont County, Ohio, Sept. 30, 1821. 

Her parents were William and Marj- Payne. Mr. 

and Mrs. Garner were married in Jaiuiary, 1847. 

By this union there were three children, viz : Lafay- 

j] ette A., born Dec. 9, 1849 ; Harriet I., born June 8, 

■'' 1854, and died Aug. 5, 1860; Margaret E., born 

April 27, 1860, now the wife of A. \V. (Jlaze of 

Atchison, Kan. 

Mr. Garner served twelve months in the Me.\icau 
War, and received an honorable discharge. He 
was also a soldier of the late war, enlisting in 1861 
in Company II, 97th Ohio Volunteers. He was al- 
ways found at his post, and discharged every duty 
imposed upon him with fidelity. He participated 



11 He: 



In the hard-fought battles of Chatt.anooga, Mission- 
ary' Ridge, Lookout Mountain, and man}' other bat- 
tles and skirmishes. During his service he con- 
tracted disabilities necessitating his discharge, and 
from the effects of which he died in Oskaloosa, 
July 31, 1882. 

Mr. Garner was a member of the I. O. (). F., 
Magnolia Lodge, Agency City, Iowa, in which he 
was insured for $1,000. He was a loving husband 
and an indulgent father, and a man respected by 
all who knew him. His widow still survives, and 
resides in Oskaloosa. 



St 



\1? OSEPH JONES. In 1856 the subject of this 
biographical notice established a business in 
the cit}' of Oskaloosa which still exists, and 
(^^ is, at this writing, the oldest of its kind in 
the citj' or county. The business which he so suc- 
cessfully conducts is that of manufacturing phaeton 
buggies and spring- wagons, his office and works be- 
ing located on West Main street. He employs in 
his business from twelve to fourteen hands, and 
from 100 to 150 vehicles, besides doing a large 
amount of repairing annually. It is but just to state 
that his success in business is attributable to his own 
energy^ good judgment and perseverance, for he 
has never been the recipient of a legacy. 

Joseph Jones was born in Wales, March 27, 1833, 
and is a son of Elias and Jennette (Davis) Jones. 
Our subject emigrated to tlie United States in 1851, 
and located at Milwaukee, Wis. He learned his 
trade in that city, and after spending three years 
there went to Chicago, where he worked as a "jour" 
for some time. He then went to Lowell, La Salle 
Co., 111., where he spent a short time, and May 1, 
1856, came to Oskaloosa. Arriving in this city he 
started a blacksmith-shop, which he <jperated until 
1861, when he merged into the carriage business. 
He has increased his business as the development 
and increase in population has permitted, and has 
succeeded most admirabl}". 

Mr. Jones was united in marriage, Jan. 8, 1857, 
at Oskaloosa, to Miss Catharine, daughter of W^il- 
liam and Susan Gilmore. She was born in Union 
County, Ind., and has borne our subject twelve 
children, six sons and six daugiiters, all born at Os- 






I 



S;l 



:-Xi 



m 



i 



II 



in 

3f:i 




1 .i.jiil'-iiliLLUja' 







MAHASKA COUNTY. 



18f 



!^ kaloosa, aiirl nine of whom are living. 



13 

i: 

i: 
i; 



They are 

Joseph, working with his father; Susan, wife of De 

Uoy Carriel, who resides at Minneapolis; William, 

a telegraph operator working f(jr the N. P. li. K. ; 

^'^ l'>l\vin ar.d l>"ranklin died at the age of eighteen 

; years; Alice; Nellie; Ida; Grace; Ernest died aged 

ii\; oneyear;Ceeil C.andOwen. Mr.and Mrs. .lonesare 

's members of the Congregational Church. In poli- 

: tics our suhject votes with the Repuhlicnn party. 

: Socially he is a member of the I. (). < ). I"., lioMiug 

; fellowship with Mahaska Lodge No. l(i. 



>~w -vtaae;©^' 



^».^~S/Zratr»v."./v~«. 



M 



- ^ IMLLIAM II. BAKRICKMAN, of the firm 

\ / of McCurdy & Co., Oskaloosa, was born in 

; ^r^ Armstrong County, Pa., March ;5, 1813, 

; and is a son of John and Sarah (Ijcattj-) Barrick- 

: man. Mr. John Barrickman was in the War of 

E 1812, and held a commission as Captain of what 

B was known as the Pittsburgh Blues. He enlisted 

S for six months, and served the full term of his en- 

- listnieut. By occupation Mr. Barrickman w.as a 
: boat-builder. They were the parents of four chil- 
: dren, two sons and two daughters, all of whom 
; lived to maturitj". William IL, and Sarah, widow 
; of Koswell B. Webster, of Stor^- County, Iowa, are 
: the only ones now living. 

; Mr. Barrickman died in 1819, and Mrs. Barrick- 

1 man was again married, to William Foreman. By 
': this marriage there were born nine children, six of 
: wh(jm are living: .Samuel resides at Stockton, Cal., 

2 where he went in 1849, and is engaged in farming; 
; George lives at Coon Hapids, Iowa, and is a miller; 
:' James is engaged in farming in Marion County, 
': Ohio; Margaret, widow of Andrew Rice, lives at 
: Bourbon, Ind. ; William is a farmer in 3Iarion 

County, Ohio, and Silas is engaged in the same oc- 

s cupation near Lima, the same State. Mrs Foreman 

: died in Ohio in 1881. She was a member of the 

; Metliodist Epsicopal Church for many years. 

: The subject of this sketch remained with his 

: mother until he was fourteen years old, when he 

: was apprenticed for four years to the tailor's trade, 

: receiving for his services his board and clothes. 

: He was married in Pennsylvania, in 1833, to Miss 

Margaret Reynolds, who was a native i)f Lancaster 



County, Pa., born March 18, 1813. In 1835 or 
1836 he removed to Marion Count}', Ohio. It was 
a new country, and his wife not being pleased with 
their location, he returned to Pennsylvania, where 
he staid onlj' a short time, and went back to Ma- p 
rion County, where he remained until 1854. During i- 
that 3'ear he came AVest, stopping first at Tipton, 
Cedar Co., Iowa, then at Montezuma, Poweshiek ^ 
County, where he engaged in the milling business, 
and where he remained until 18(54, when he came to 
Oskaloosa, where he h.is since resided. The firm of 
which ho is a member is engaged in the furniture 
and undertaking business, and is the leading busi- 
ness house in those lines in this county. 

Politically Mr. B. is a Republican. Mr. and Mrs. 
B. are acceptable members of the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church of this city. In estimating the quali- 
ties of a man, actions speak louder than words. 
Measuring Mr. Barrickman 1)}' this rule we class him 
as a most estimable citizen, possessing all those 
qualities which should, and do, commend him to his 
fellow-men, and which have made him a host of 
friends, and few, if anj', enemies. 





M 







ENRY H. PRINE, of Garfield Township, 
is a farmer and breeder of Hamblctonian, 
Bashaw and Clay horses, and came to this 
county in 1846, locating a claim on section 
10, which is now a part of the 500 acres which con- ■' "\ 
stitutes his home, and is one of the finest farms in J— /L 



the countj-, where he has continuously resided since. 
He was born in Fleming Count}', Ky., and is a son 
of Matthew and Elizabeth (Shawhan) Prine, the 
former a native of New Jersey, and the latter of 
Kentucky. JIatthew was a farmer and removed 
with his famil}' to Rush County, Ind. Henry fol- 
lowed farming with his father until the fall of 1846, 
when he came to this count}' as above stated. Prior 
to leaving Indiana in 1842, he was married to Eliza- 
beth Fox, of Rush County, a native of Pennsyl- 
vania, and a daughter of Ellis and Mary Fox. By 
this marriage there have been seven children: 
Mary, wife of William Bartlett, of this township; 
Ellis, a farmer in Garfield Township; George K. 




cinczxxxx3n 



m 






\m 




188 




urrrmiTXjjE 

MAHASKA 



COUNTY 



died at the age of eighteen years; Amos B., John 
F., Joseph H. and Frank, are at home. 

Mr. Prine owned little of this world's goods 
when he came to the county, but was tlie possessor 
of a will not easily' daunted bj' surrounding cir- 
cumstances, and he pursued tlie occupation of 
farming, working incessantly and laboriously, and 
earl}' and late, until the year 1855. Having by 
that time accumulated considerable means, he en- 
gaged in the buying and shipijiug of stock until 
1871, in the meantime caring for and cultivating 
his extensive farm. In 1872 he became interested 
and engaged in the breeding of Short-horn cattle. 
This business he continued until 1877, when he 
made a public sale, disposing of his entire herd, 
and discontinuing that line of business. He pur- 
chased of D. r. .Shawhan, of Kushville, Ind., the 
registered Hambletonian mare, Mollie Patterson, 
one of the finest animals of that breed in the West, 
and with her began the raising of that stock of 
horses. He has now at the home farm three of her 
colts: namely, Mollie, Bay Sallie and Prine's Ham- 
bletonian, all fine representatives of that celebrated 
famil}- of fleet horses. 

Mr. Prine has been a stockholder in the Mahaska 
County Agricultural Societj^ ever since its organi- 
zation, was its Secretary in 1873, Vice President 
the two years following, and in 1876 was elected 
President, which oHice he has continued to fill ever 
since. Mr. Prine has taken great interest in the 
success and prosperity- of the society, has given 
much time and labor, and has really hy his great 
energy, made the Mahaska County Fair the grand- 
est success of any similar organization in the State. 
Year bj' year, as the funds of the society would 
admit, he has added to its acres and to its comforts 
and conveniences, until now its grounds are ample, 
and the conveniences for the care of stock, and the 
products of the soil are not excelled by those of 
an}- other agricultural society. So popular has 
the Fair become under his management that the 
privileges alone, which do not include games of 
chance, gambling or pool-selling, these being ex- 
cluded from the grounds, yield a large revenue to 
the society. 

Mr. Prine was \'ice President of the First Na- 
tional Bank of Oskaloosa from the time it began 



business until it went into liquidation and sur- 
rendered its charter. Politically he is a Democrat, 
but not of that class of politicians win) are seekei's 
after the loaves and fishes. His greatest aim in life 
is and has been, to make life a success in a Inisiness 
way, and the best evidence of his aldlity in tiiis 
direction is the success he has attained. 



- T 



•. -'I 



^^^^ 




ON. J. KELLY JOHNSON, Judge of the 
District Court of the Sixth Judicial Dis- 
trict, is a native of Ohio, born in Greene 
County, Aug. ■>■>, 1841. He is the son of 
Abijah and Elizabeth (Bailey) Johnson, of whom 
mention is made elsewhere in tiiis volume. When 
thirteen years of age he removed with his parents 
to Indiana, and in Wabash College and Battle 
Ground Institute received his literary education. 
After completing his studies in those institutions 
he entered the Law Department of the Michigan 
University, at Ann Arbor, attending one winter. 
While at Ann Arbor his parents moved to Oslva- 
loosa, where he also came in April, 1865. Shortly 
after his arrival here he entered the law office of 
J. K. Barcroft, at present a prominent attorney of 
Des Moines, where he pursued the study of law for 
a time, and then went into the office of Seevers 
<fe Williams. He subsequently attended law school 
at Des Moines, and in 1867 was admitted to the 
bar. On his admission he went toEddyville, where 
he formed a partnership witli Henry N. Clements, 
a fellow student of Ann Arbor, who is at present 
practicing law in San Francisco, Cal. 

Soon after going to Eddyville Judge Johnson 
was appointed by the Council of that place City 
Attorney, which office he held until his removal to 
Oskaloosa in 1868, where he was first associated 
with (Tcorge W. Lafferty in the practice of his pro- 
fession, and which partnership continued until his 
elevation to the judgeship in 1883. In 1869 he 
was appointed by the council, City Solicitor, and 
was elected at the next regular election and held 
the office nearly six j'ears. In the year 1879 he 
was elected to the State Senate, and participated in 
the deliberations of the memorable Eighteenth and 
Nineteenth General Assemblies of Iowa, when the 



I 

1=' 
11 

i 

a-ii 

RSI 

""h 
:;h 
5-n 
:;i 
::i 
v;ti 
■::ti 
::a 
: 1 

li 

:..a 
;-m 

Kl 

3il 



yifirJ 



Ill Uiumi t '^■I l«T^^T.^' M^I^II 



MAHASKA COUNTY 



i 



\i 

ii 
IP 

lie 

U ! 



i:j: 

i:s 

► »-: 

; 1 .-.: 

r-: 



Constitiitiunal AmiMiflineiit prohibiting the iiiaiui- 
facture and sale of intoxicating liquors as a buver- 
iige, vvas framed and submitted to the people. In 
the Nineteenth General Assenibl}^ he was Chairman 
of the Committee on Constitutional Amendments 
in the Senate. In 1882 he was nominated by the 
Kepnblicans as their candidate for Judge of the 
District Court of the Sixth District, was elected, 
and in the month of Januarj- following took the 
oath of oflice, the lUities of which he filled so 
ably and impartially that June 10, ISSG, he was re- 
nominated for the same position. The Democratic 
and (Jreenback parties at their joint convention in 
188G, appreciating the fine abilities of the Judge 
and, his absolute fairness under all circumstances, 
paid him the high compliment of passing a resolu- 
tion that no nomination should be made against 
him. 

The Judge is yet a young man, hardly in the 
prime of life, possesses legal abilitj- of the highest 
order, is a close and analj'tical student, possesses a 
mind free from bias, and is considered by those 
most competent to criticise, one of the ablest Dis- 
trict Judges of Iowa. He was married, April 27, 
1871, to Miss Ann E. Grnw^ell, daughter of Dr. J. 
P. Crruwell, a native of Ohio. Bj- this marriage 
there were seven children, five living — Irving C, 
Bessie, Carl, Alice and Emily; Ralph and Herbert 
are deceased. 




LTiJ^i^ 



■:>J^-r5- 



them have been born six children, three living: 
Emma, born (Jet. 22, 18G() ; William (•»}', Jul}- 19, 
I.S70. and Thomas, March 24, 1872. In 18G8 our 
subject came to Oskaloosa and took chaige of the 
(ilendale Mills, remaining in charge until the}- werep 
moved to Oskaloosa in the fall of I.S.S4, when he 
came and took chai'ge of them and has occnjjied 
that position since. Mr. Zear is a practical miller 
and thoroughl}' posted in all the details of the 



\¥)OHN ZEAR, of Oskaloosa, was born near 
Strasburg, France, Jan. 21, 1833. When 
eight years old he came to America with his 
parents, locating in AVayue County, Ohio, 
where he grew to manhood. When fourteen or fif- 
teen years old he was put to work in the flouring- 
mill. and continued in that business until the year 
18.')(), when he came to Henry County, Iowa, where 
he followed farmimg for three j-ears. Disposing of 
his farm he again entered the mill, and since 1856 
has been continousl}' engaged in that business. 
In 1857 he went to Van Buren County, Iowa, and 
took charge of a mill. 

Mr. Zear was married at Agency City, Wapello 
Co., Iowa, in 1859, to Jliss .Mary E. Small. To 




.m^; 



business. Politically he is a Hei)ublican, casting his [[!{( 
first vote for Fremont in 185G, and has voted and 
acted with that party ever since. He is a quiet and 
unassuming citizen, a man whose character is above 
reproach, and enjoys the confidence and respect of 
his fellow-men. 



J, 




K. PRINE, of (iarfield Township, is a native 
of Pendleton County, Ky., where he was 
born Feb. 22, 1822, and is a son of 
Matthew and Elizal)eth (Shawhan) Prine, 
who were natives of the same State. In 1825 his 
parents removed to Rush Count}', Ind., where he 
lived until the fall of 181)0, when he came to this 
count}' and settled on section 1 of Garfield Town- 
ship, where he has since resided. He was married 
in Fayette County, Ind., Oct. 15, 1845, to Miss 
Mary Nelson, a native of Indiana, born July 2;'>. 
1822, and a daughter of Jacob and Mary Nelson. 
They are the parents of two children: George S., 
who resides in Madison Township, this county, and 
Joseph D., at home. 

Mr. Prine owns 2G5 acres of land, all in a very 
fine state of cultivation, indeed it is in many re- 
spects a model farm, and reflects great credit upon 
its owner. The firm of M. K. Prine & Son are ex- 
tensive breeders of Short-horn cattle and Poland- 
China and Berkshire hogs. His cattle are of the 
best families in America, with full recorded pedi- 
grees, and they always have male calves for sale. 
They are the leading breeders in this country of Po- 
land-China and IJerkshire swine, all of which are re- 
corded stock. His male hog. Dandy, took the 
sweep-stakes premium at the St.ate Fair in Des 
Moines in competition with seventy-two other en- 
tries. .Mr. Prine is always a lively competitor at 





' ^ i¥¥T^^TTi nyii 



K ! > ■ ^ T JBIJmjl 



tfiTiiir rxtEM 




uijxxruxnntxiitxxxQrT^iTt.. 



t mxnxxxxxxji rm m m ^xx^ x^^ . 



190 



aiAHASKA COUNTY. 



''^^^ff^ 



the County Fair, and has always succeeded in hav- 
ing tlie leading premium on cattle and swine ;i\varded 
him, and his revenues from the sales of flue stock 
are large. He has spared no expense in fitting up 
proper buildings for the shelter of his animals from 
the lilasts of winter, and in this respect sets an ex- 
ample worthy of imitation l)_y farmers generally', 
rolitically Mr. Prine is a Repul)liean, evincing a 
deep interest in the success of the i)arty, but seeks 
none of the honors of office at the hands of his fel- 
low-citizens, preferring rather to devote himself to 
the business of general farming and stock-raising, 
in vvhich he has attained such eminent success. 
And this is his best encomium, that he has been 
successful in wliat he has undertaken. 



^|:^|Lii5E=^ 





K. CARLETON GUY OWEN. The old- 
est physician and longest in practice of any 
in Mahaska County, as well as one of the 
most successful, is the gentleman whose 
name heads this biographical notice. He came 
here in 1845 and has been in practice continuously 
since. By carefnllj^ diagnosing his cases and treat- 
ing his patients with that skill which years of prac- 
tice and study enable him to bring to bear, he has 
not only been successful but has been enabled to 
establish a lucrative practice. 

Dr. Owen was born in Derby, Orleans Co., \'t., 
Aug. [), IfSOG, and is a son of Dr. James and Lu- 
cinda (Sweatland) Owen. When seven years of 
age he accompanied his parents in their lemoval to 
( )ntario County, N. Y. They spent only a year or 
two there, and in 1816 the family removed to 
Michigan Territor3\ and located on Raisin River at 
French Town. Thej- lived there for eleven years, 
when our subject moved to Stark County, Ohio, 
where we find him engaged in the duties of a peda- 
gogue, wliich he continued in that county for a 
couple of years, when he went to Pennsylvania and 
was there two years, and then returned to Ohit). 

Dr. Owen was married in Michigan, Sept. 11, 
1828, to Miss Maria Roop, daughter of John Roop. 
She was born ' in Ohio, and bore our subject two 
children: Eliza M.. widow of John Gilliland, who 
resides with her father, and Henry Byron, who mar- 



ried Philena Barton, and is living in Oskaloosa. 
The kind and loving wife and mother departed this 
life to join the silent majority (in tlic otiier shore in 
the fall of 1841, and three 3'cars later, in Octoliei', 
1844, the Doctor was again united in marriage at 
New Lisbon, Ohio, to Electa C, daughter of Will- 
iam Frederick. She was horn in New Lisbon, and 
remained the faithful companion of our subject un- 
til 18.58, when she died without issue* 

Dr. Owen removed from Ohio to Illinois in 1830, 
and settled nt Astoria, Fulton County. He had 
read medicine one 3'ear with his father, and, return- 
ing to Ohio, si>cnt two years in study, and in 184;i 
returned to Illinois and entered on the practice of 
his profession in ctimpany with his father. Tw<j 
years later, in 184.'), he came to Oskaloosa. and has 
since been in practice at that place. Religiously 
lie is a member of the Christian Church. Prior to 
the organization of the Republican party he was a 
Whig, but since 18,50 has voted with the Repub- 
licans. He is a genial, kind-hearted gentleman, and 
much respected by those who know him. 



1 
1 

m 



11 

Si 

Sil 

:n 

Jul 

11 

aEi 
asi 
s-;i 
an 



I 



'->'>^^^^:)<^^ 




BLTAH JOHNSON, deceased, was born in : 
Warren County, Ohio, and there grew to h 
manhood. He was married in Clinton 5 
Country, that State, to Miss Elizabeth 
Bailey, a native of Virginia, and daughter of David 
Bailey. Eight children were born to them, five 
sons and three daughters : Sylvia B., wife of Amos 
McMillan, of Henry County, fowa; J. Kelly, of 
Oskaloosa; Micajah D., of Los Angeles, Cal. ; Re- 
becca O., wife of William Ranson, of Henry Count3', 
Iowa; Overton A., a merchant in Muncie, Ind. ; 
Warren C, of Oskaloosa; A. Henry, of Los An- 
geles, Cal.; and Anna, also living in Los Angeles. 

After his marriage Mr. Johnson engaged for a 
time in farming, Init sul)sequentl3- in milling and 
merchandising in Ohio. In 1854, with his family 
he removed to Crawfordsville, Ind., where he also 
engaged in merchandising. While still residing in 
Crawfordsville he traded for a farm in Tippecanoe 
County, in the same State. Having great faith in 
the future of Iowa, "the beautiful land," he deter- 
mined upon removing to this State, and in 180.") 






I 
1 
1 

an 
an 
3ti 



an 



I S^^FP ' 













i^^ 



ilTr 






sea 



ZaiEJc'j^.rif'r^r'r'r'i-'rfff 




c3 



iffirir'r^'Sij 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



191' 



canu' to Oskaloosa with his family. Hero he a^.niii 
embarked in the mercantile businc.-^s, whieh he fol- 
lowed for a number of .years, and here Mrs. .Tohn- 
son died Feb. 11, 1870. 

In 1881, on account of failing health, .Mr. .Jolin- 
>on went to California, in the hope that the balmy 
breezes of that fair laud wovdd bring again to his 
cheeks the rosy hue of health. But it was not so to 
be ; Death claimed him for his own in the summer of 
l.S,s-_'. .Mr. and Mrs. Johnson were active members 
i)f the Society of Friends, and died in the blissful 
iiopes of immortality and eternal life beyond the 
: grave. In the days of African slavery Mr. John- 
' son did not fear nor hesitate to avow his friend.ship 
and sj'mpathy for the drown- trodden negro, and 
ever aided them as opportunity offered. In his 
chiu'ch relations he was an active and influential 
member; as a citizen none enjoyed the confidence 
and respect of neighbors and friends more than he. 
His word was as good as his bond, and once given 
was never forfeited. 

-^ ^#- ^ 



W FjWIS HILLEARY, 1-esiding on section 14, 
I ^ Spring Creek Township, is a general farmer 
ii^^ and stock-raiser. He was born in Harrison 
County, Ky., Feb. 4, 1825, and is the son of Fran- 
cis and Charlotte (Arnold) Hilleary. The father 
was a merchant and teacher in Kentuckj', but came 
to Iowa, locating near Burlington, in the year 1834, 
and was one of the earlj- pioneers in that section of 
the State. He came to Mahaska Comity on a visit 
during the year 1841. His wife died in their home 
in Burlington about the year 1851. 

The subject of this sketch, Lewis Ilillear^^ was 
married, May 15, 1859, to Miss Delilah Bond, a 
daughter of Henry and Susannah (Stanfield) Bond, 
both of whom were pioneer settlers of Iowa and 
residents of this county, and are now deceased. Of 
this union there have been six children: Clara; Ida, 
deceased; (Jeorge, Ransom. Sarvilleand N'erlie. Mr. 
Hilleary is the owner of 180 acres of land on the 
home farm, upon which there are very fine imi)rove- 
ment-*. His house, barns and out-buildings are of 
the best character, and well adapted to his business 
of general farming and stock-raising. He also owns 



155 acres of improved land on section 15, both of 
which farms are in a high state of cultivation. He 
is engaged in the breeding of Clydesdale horses and 1^ 
thorough-bred Short-horn cattle, and is accumulat- 
ing a nice herd of very desiralile animals that rank 
well with the liest as to iiedigree and family. 

Mr. Hilleary is a member of the Masonic frater- 
nity, and in his political alllliations is a Republican. 
That he has made life a success is due to his untir- 
ing energy and application, combined with careful 
management of his affairs. His is an hospitable 
home, where is always found an abundance of the 
best, and at his board friends and acquaintances are 
alwaj's welcome visitors. He maj' properl}' be 
classed as one of the jiioneers of this county who 
has grown with its growth, and who has accumu- 
lated a competence where others have failed. As 
a citizen, neighbor and friend, he is greatl3' es- 
teeined. 

|r_.^^ORACE W. GLEASON, attorney at law, 
l[f)|) and senior member of the firm of Gleason 
'^)^ & Haskell, of Oskaloosa, is a native of AVar- 
(^) ren, (Irafton Co., N. H., where he was born 
May 2, 1846. He is a son of Rev. Salmon Glea- 
son, a native of New Hampshire, who was a grad- 
uate of Wilbraham Seminary, Massachusetts, at 
present known as Fisk Cniversity. Salmon Glea- 
son was one of the mechanics employed in the erec- 
tion (>i that building, and was a man of more than 
ordinary ability. Among the first abolitionists of 
his native .State, he was ever the friend and bene- 
factor of the down-trodden and oppressed coloi'ed 
man. Because of the advocacy of his views in this 
regard he was at one time arrested in his pulpit and 
cast into prison, where he was confined for two 
weeks, and where his friends did not dare to visit 
him, but was finally released without further action. 
I lis buildings were burned down over his head, and 
for years he was persecuted because of his anti- 
slavery sentiments, yet he lived to see the slaves set 
free, and the dream of his early life fulfilled, and is 
living at the present time at the rii)e old age of 
eighty-four. 

Salmon Gleason married, in 1823, Miss Jerusha 
Wiliard. a native of Vermont. She was born in 
,lune, 180o. Of the ijsne of this marriage there are 



ail 




1 xTXXxn rxuz7xii-U] | 




n 1 ■ I ^XXUXT' 




192 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



H 



id 






four sons living: Salmon "W.. at Mankato, Minn.; 
Rev. George L., a Congregational niiniister, at 
South Byfleld, Mass.; Orange S., of \\'arren, 
X. H., and the subject of this sketch, Horace 
W. Mrs. Gleason died Feb. 17, 187(). She was 
a very earnest and sincere Christian woman, well 
beloved b.y all who knew jier. 

Horace W. (Heason remained at home until he 
was sixteen years of age, receiving his rudimentary 
education at the common schuols and Newbury' 
Academy, at Newbury. Vt. On the call for .-^OO.OOO 
troops by President Jjincoln, he enlisted in June. 
1 ,S(;2, in Co. G, 1 2th N. II. Vol. Inf., as a private sol- 
dier, and participated with his regiment in the en- 
gagements at Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancel- 
lorsville, Gettysburg, Swift Creek, Drury's Blutf, 
Cold Harbor, the siege of Richmond, Weldon Rail- 
road, Appomattox, the I)attle of the 14th of June, 
1 SG4, and many other b.attles and skirmishes. In the 
action .at (iett3'sburg he was wounded. He was 
promoted Sergeant Major and subsequently to 
First Lieutenant, and was detailed sis an aid-de- 
camp on the staff of (Jen. Whipple, who was killed 
in action at the battle of Cliancellorsville. At the 
closing up of the war Lieut. Gleason was detailed 
and placed in charge of the (Government property, 
at Bermuda Hundi'ed, and was engaged in the 
gathering up of military stores, disposing of them 
and turning the proceeds over to the (iovernnient, 
which duties were discharged in a manner so en- 
tirely satisfactory that he received a compliment of 
special mention in general orders from his superior 
( )fficer. Sept. 22, 1 865, he was honorabl}- discharged 
at Fortress Monroe, 'N'a., and returned to his eastern 
home. 

In the siiring of 1866, acting ujion the advice of 
Greeley, Mr. Gleason came to the Ijoundless west, 
stopping one year at Mankato, Minn. In 1867 he 
removed to Benton Countj'^, Iowa, where he taught 
school and read law at the same time, and was ad- 
mitted to tiie bar in December, 1869, at Toledo, 
Iowa. From there he removed to Jasper County, 
Iowa, where he followed his profession until Ma}-, 
1872, when he came to Oskaloosa and formed a 
partnership with Hon. J. A. L. Crookham, which 
continued for seven 3'e.ars, and soon after its dis- 
solution, his present partnership was formed. 



Oct. 20, 1875, Mr. Gleason was married in Oska- 
looso, to Miss Flora A. Howai-d, a daughter of 
Henry Howard, Esq., of this city, who came to 
JIahaska County with her parents when only one 
year old. Of the children born to tiieni two are 
living; Howard L., born. Feb. 1, 1877, and Warren 
E., June 6, 1884. Mr. Gleason is a member of tlie 
following JIa:<onic bodies: Blue Lodge Chapter 
and Commandery, Council and Consistorj', and has 
represented botii Cliapter and Commandery in the 
grand bodies (jf the State. He is also a member 
of Pliil Kearney Post No. 40, G. A. R. Politically 
he is a Re|)ublican, and in 1878 was elected In' that 
party as its representative in the Lower House <.pf 
the (Jeneral Assembly of Iowa, p.articipating act- 
ively in all the work of the session, .and acquitting 
himself in a manner alike creditable to himself and 
his constituents. He is a man of fine leg.al .attain- 
ments, is a close student, a good counselor and an 
eloquent advocate, ranking high in his profession 
at home and wherever known abroad. 

0-^ HARLES B. WEST, of the firm of C. B. 
West & Co., dealers in agricultural imple- 
_ ments, wagons, buggies, drain tile, etc., 
started the business in 1882, John H. Dusenbeny 
becoming his partner. During the four years in 
which the firm has carried on lousiness, they have, 
by honest dealing with their customers and constant 
attention to business, established a good and paying 
trade. 

Charles B. AVest was born in 3Iorgau County, 
111., June 5, 1848, and is a son of Ezekiel and Susan 
(B.ateman) West. Charles came to this county 
with his parents when about a year old. They set- 
tled in what was then Oskaloosa Township, and it 
was there, in the common schools and at Oskaloosa 
College, that Mr. West received his education. He 
was brought up on the farm, and on arriving at the 
age of m.aturit}' continued to labor at bis vocation, 
adding theieto the shipping of stock, until 1882. 
During that 3'ear heeng,aged in his present business, 
and has devoted the major portion of his time to 
its interest. He still owns his flue farm of 320 
acres, located in Garfield and Scott Townships. 

Mr. West was miu'ried in Oskaloosa, March 28. 







'CiHSScCa 



hr-'r'r'r'rn 



ITmTXJ»rTT»nT«I 




MAHASKA COUNTY. 



l',>: 



1878, to Miss Miranda T., the accomplished and in- 
telligent daughter of John Dusenberr^-. .She was 
born in this county, and her union with our subject 
has been blest b^- the birtli of four cliildron, namely, 
Lena, Clifford B., Faj' and (iuy. In politics Mr. 
West votes with the Republican party. He is a 
member of the Masonic fratoruity, belonging to 
Trilumiuar Lodge at Oskaloosa and also to the 
Royal Arch Chapter and Commandery No. G of 
this city. 

• =3 M-^si ^ — : ■ 



GEORGES. PRINE. 
was born in Fa3'et 
1847, and is a son i 



^^?^EORGE S. PRINE, of Madison Township, 
('ette County. Ind., Oct. 29, 
of M. K. and JIary (Nel- 
son) Prine (.i biography of whom appears elscwhera 
in this book.) He came with his parents to this 
county in the fall of 18G0, and located in (Jarfleld 
Township. He was married, Feb. 10,1870, to Mary 
Hinies, a native of Ohio. By this marri.age there 
was one child, Alford, who died at the age of five 
months. His wife died one year after her marriage. 
He was again married, Aug. IG, 187G, to IMiss Fran- 
ces B. Zullars, a native of (4reene Counl\-, Pa., born 
Sept. 1(), 18ol. There were two children by this 
marriage: Mary II., born July 7. 1 878, and Matthew 
Kenneth, Feb. 28, 188."). 

iMr. Prine is a graduate of Oskaloosa Commer- 
cial College, of the class of 1875. Politically he 
espouses the Republican faith. He is the p.-ii-tner of 
his father in his extensive stock farm, for full par- 
ticulars of which sec biography of ^M. K. Prine 
elsewhere in this volume. 

ylLLIAM E. NERNON, patentee .and man- 
ufacturer of A'ernon's Steam Nut & Cof- 
fee Roaster at Oskaloosa, is one of the 
foremost business men of that cit3'. He is engaged 
in nianuf.acturing steam-engines, does job work, and 
started his business in that phice in 1878. He has, 
nevertheless, been a resident of Mahaska County 
since 18G0. He was born in Lancashire, England. 
Oct. 22, 1842, and is a son of Thomas and Hannah 
(Hall) ^'ernon. He emigrated to the United States 
with his [larents when only three or four years of 



age. and lived with them in Newark, N. J., whcr. 
he was reared tu the age of maturity, and where, in 
the common schools, he was educated. AVhen eleven 
years of age, in IS.').'!, his parents both died, leav- 
ing a family of seven children, six in this country. 
In 1854 he went to England w'ith his brother \:ir 
nam. Thoy Ijoth went to be educated by tluii 
brother, but he being a Roman Catholic and requir- 
ing them to become members of tliat church, they 
left him and worked at various kinds of business 
for two years, when they received fr(jm their sister 
Martha the necessary funds for their return, and 
both came back together. 

In December, 18G0, he came to Illinois on a visit, 
and on the breaking out of the late Civil War, April 
22, 18G1, he enlisted in Joliet, in Co. F, 20th 111. 
A'ol. Inf.. and served three years and four months. 
Prominent among the battles in which he partici- 
pated were those of Donaldson, Shiloh, Corinth and 
Bretton's Lane. He then went back to Memphis, 
then to Lake Providence, La., from there to Milli- 
gau's Bend, then to Ft. Gibson, R.aymond, J.ackson, 
Champion Hills and Vicksburg. He was in the 
campaign under Sherman, returned to Vicksburg, 
and from there went to Cairo, 111., at which time his 
term of enlistment had expired. In connection 
with others he drove some 2,200 head of cattle to 
Chattanooga. He was detached from his regiment 
and took part in the battle of Kennesaw Mountain, 
after which he returned to Nashville, Teun., and 
w\as there mustered out in July, 18G4. 

In September, 1864, Mr. Vernon came to Oska- 
loosa, where he was emploj'ed for a short time, and 
in the spring of 1865 went to Jlontana and there 
engaged in placer mining at Silver Bow. He re- 
mained in JMontana until 18G9, occupjiug his time 
while there in mining, and also in the running of a 
jjouj' express between se\'eral of the tow-ns. He 
returned to Oskaloosa in 18G"J, and in 1870 pur- 
chased a steam bakery- at th.at place and carried on 
the business until 1882. He also dealt in fancy 
groceries, and in 1878 invented the coft'ce roaster, 
of which he is the patentee, and since 1879 has been 
engaged in the manufacture of his roasters. He 
was also Superintendent of the Currier Middling 
Mills one year. He has a fine farm near the city 
limits, on which ho has a fine brick residence and 



.Ei£i-._, 



i 






if-t4r rS-rirrY»ir«»i»»-r»TTr 1 1 n i f" i 



nxiiiy rTrr^ixxmj rrj i 



^^^ 



i rirx cTi^rri ju ra ttttj-t zxh 



13 » » y « m HI » tTTTT mm t ■ 



;l4 IS 



Ml 



ii 




[iiijxmmxiirrxiranxrrxrTT- _ 



r)i 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



a number of bloodert horses and fine stock. As a 
business man and farmer he may be reckoned as sec- 
ond to none in the country. 

Jlr. \'ernon w.as united in marriage, June 7, 1S70. 
at Oskaloosa, Mith Jliss Lydia Fisher, daughter of 
Dr. Isaac Fislier. She was born in Ilarveysburg, 
Ohio, iNfarch 1.5, 183.S, and has borne our subject 
four children, three of whom are living — William 
E.. C'3'rus F., and an infant unnamed; May is de- 
ceased. Mrs. Vernon is a member of the Congre- 
gational Church. In politics our subject votes 
with the Republican party. He has been a member 
of tiie City Council for one term, and socially be- 
longs t(^ the ilasonic fraternitj\ He is also a mem- 
ber of the Iowa Legion of Honor, and is one of the 
respected and honored citizens of Mahaska Countv. 



•-^t^-'-J'S^* 



Jf >^<<f-< <^tf-» 





(^^ ARTIN BACON. Among the old and re- 
spected citizens of Oskaloosa who are at 
present engaged in business in that citj' is 
the subject of this biographical notice. He 
is carrying on the grocery trade, and is meeting 
with that success which energy' and perseverance, 
coupled with honest dealing are sure to bring. 

Martin Bacon was born in Washington County, 
Ohio, March 2;), 1822. He is a son of William and 
Ellen (Miller) Bacon, and was brought up to the 
trade of a carpenter, which he mastered and fol- 
lowed for many years. He was married in his na- 
tive count}' in August, 1843, to Miss Lucy Benja- 
min. Of their union three children have been born, 
two sons and one daughter, the two elder in Ohio, 
the youngest in Van Buren County, this State. 
Ilenrj' married Florence F. Mattox, and is engaged 
in the grocery business in Oskaloosa: Eliza J. was 
united in marriage with Johnson Henderson, and 
departed this life to join the silent majority on the 
other shore, Aug. 0, 1874; Charles married Annie 
Nelson, and thej^ are living in Oskaloosa. 

The subject of this notice moved to Mahaska 
County in l.S;J4. In 18.o5 he wont U> Van Buren 
County, where he was engaged in running a pajier 
mill. Remaining in the latter county until isi;2 he 
removed to Oskaloosa, and was occupied as a mill- 
wright until! 878. During that year he engaged in his 




present business and has continued the same since. ' 
meeting with success. His good w^ife died July 10, t 
1 883. In politics Mr. Bacon votes with the Repub- i ii 
lican i)arty, and socially is a member of the I. O. 
O. F. 



i^^s 



'^ M. BARNES resides on section 23 of Spring 
Creek Township, and is a farmer and stock- 
^,^ raiser. He was born in Richland County, 
(^^ Ohio, April 12, 1824, and is a son of J. J. 
and Jlary A. (Derrick) Barnes. His mother was of 
English descent and birth, while his father was born 
in Mar3'land and was of German parentage. Both 
parents died in Richland County, Ohio, and during 
their lives followed the occupation of farming. 

The subject of this sketch was married, May 1, 
1845, to Miss Caroline Wellslager, bora Jan. 7, 
1827, a native of Maryland, and a daughter of 
Samuel and Marj^ (Welsh) ^Vellslager. To them 
have been born six children: J. E. ; Charles O., de- 
ceased ; John R. ; Sadie, deceased ; M. W. and Anna, 
deceased. His wife died July 1!3, 18G8, and be was 
again married, in what is now Spring Creek Town- 
ship, May G, 1869, to Mrs. Mary C. Thompson nee 
McAlister, daughter of John B. and Mar^- B. 
(Boon) McAlister, and born in Spring Creek Town- 
ship, Oct. 21), 1842. They have two children, Maud 
and ^Mabel. Her father was one of the first settlers 
of Spring Creek Tovvnship, came here before the 
land was in the market, and took up 1(J0 acres on 
section 22. He died in the Indian Territory while 
on a visit, Aug. 15, 1881; the mother in Spring 
Creek Township, May 7, 1855. 

In 1850 Mr. Barnes made a trip to California, re- 
mained eighteen months, then came home again, 
and has since visited Colorado, where he remained 
eighteen months. He came to Iowa in the fall of 
1854 and rented a farm in Richland Township, 
three years, and in 1857 he bought a farm of 160 
acres of improved land in Harrison Township, this 
county. This farm he imjiroved and resided on 
until the spring of 1881, when he sold out and 
bought 120 acres where he now resides. He gave 
forty to his son M. W. He has made general farm- 
ing and stock-raising his principal business, and is a 



ntrr'-^t 




nmqSrxxxrixxixjii.ixxn i 



Te^rxxxo- 



'tsessa 



.TTi^ffli 



IXJtl ZKXX XXIZTXXKX I 




i;a 
1 liifi 



li 



1h : 

4" 

lag 

11 



il 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



195 



breeder of imiwrted horses, both Clydesdale and 
Norman, making a specialtj' of this class of animals. 
He is also engaged in the breeding of Short-horn 
and Dnrham cattle, and Poland-China swine, and in 
these lines has in his herd some of the best animals 
to be found in the countj'. 'Sir. Barnes pays par- 
ticular attention to the .^election of the animals of 
his herd, buying onl}' the best, regardless of price, 
his experience having already taught him that the 
best is the cheapest. In this branch of his business 
he is meeting with remarkable success, and it is his 
intention to continue to add to his already fine col- 
lection of animals, until they shall be second to none 
in number and quality*. 

■Mr. Barnes and wife are members of the Presby- 
terian Church, of which they are consistent and in- 
fluential members. In his political afliliations Mr. 
Barnes is a Republican. Personally he is a man of 
estimable character, straightforward and honest in 
his dealings with men, reliable in all his representa- 
tions, and a desirable neighlior, friend and citizen, 
enjoying in a large degree the confidence and es- 
teem of all his acquaintances. 




-^r^^^- 



^ OHN R. BAER, Auditor of Mahaska County, 
was born in Rockville, Park Co., Ind., on 
the nth of March, 1830. His father, fieorge 
W. Baer, was a native of Virginia, and while 
a 3-oung man went to the State of Ohio and became 
acquainted with Elizabeth Lundy, a native of that 
State, with whom he was united in marriage. Soon 
afterward thej- removed to Parke Count}-, Ind., and 
in 1842 to Sarcoxie, Mo., locating in the fall of 
1841 at Oskaloosa, then a small village. Here he 
followed his trade as tailor for a short time, and 
then engaged in general merchandising, and retir- 
ing from that occupation, followed tliat of buying, 
selling and shipping stock for manj' years. By his 
thrift he accumulated a competency, which he after- 
ward lost because he could not say No, to a friend 
who desired his name as security. In his early life 
he was an old-line Whig, and under the old laws of 
Iowa filled the oflice of Collector and Treasurer 
of the county for one term. His wife died in 
May, 18.").'). Siie was a very sincere and earnest ) 



^^1 



Christian woman, foremost in every good work and 
word, and greatly beloved by all who knew her. 
The father is still living, and is with one of his chil- 
dren in Carroll County. Iowa. 

The subject of this sketch, John R. Baer, received ^ 
his education in the public schools of Oskaloosa 
In Jul_y, 18G1, he enlisted in Co. C, 7th Iowa A'ol. 
Inf., that being the second company raised in this 
countjs and was with his regiment at the capture 
of Fts. Henry and Donelson, the battle of Shiloh, 
siege and battle of Corinth, and at Pulaski, Tenn., 
at which place he was detailed to the commissar}' 
department under Hon. C. C. Carpenter, ex-Gov- 
ernor of Iowa, and acted until he was mustered out 
in August, 18G4, at Chattanooga, Tenn. After his 
return from the army he eng.aged in general mer- 
chandising at Beacon, Iowa, which business he con- 
tinued for seven years. He was appointed and 
served as Deputy Sheriff under ex-Sheriff Marquis ,| ^ IJi! 
Barr, now AVarden of Anamosa Penitentiary. For [[^^ 
several years Mr. Baer ofliciated as salesman for H Dj 
leading business houses in O.skaloosa, and for the J** — 
two preceding his election to his present position, 
was traveling salesman for Knapp & Spauldiug, 
wholesale hardware dealers of this city. In No- 
vember, 1885, he was elected by the Republican 
voters of Mahaska County to his present position. 

Mr. Baer was married, Nov. 8, 18G6, to Miss 
Frances Carnahan, a daughter of David Carnahan, 
Esq., of this county, .and a native of Ohio, where 
she was born June 30, 1846. There are two chil- 
dren by this marriage: Nellie A., born Feb. 11, 
18G8, and Grace L., Jan. 21, 1875. Mr. Baer is a 
member of Phil Kearney Post No. 40, G. A. R., 
this city, and is also a member of Triluminar Lodge 
No. 18, A. F. & A. M. Mrs. Baer is a leading 
member of the United Presbyterian Church of this 
city. 

Mr. Baer has been identifie<l uitli llie county 
nearly forty-one years. There were but few set- 
tlers in the county when he came here with his fa- 
ther, and over our beautiful prairies the Indian 
rt)amed at will. Here and there among the groves 
that fringed the banks of the stream, were the 
houses of the pioneers of that day. By them the 
j)rairie was not considered fit to be used for any 
other purpose than pasturage. In the years that 




irtt txi tiiiuxi » 



"L 



MTgVJrrwTJnry^ 



196 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



H 




have passeil, he has witnessed all the changes in the 
county, and has observed its growth from a condi- 
tion of semi-barbarism to the highest t^-pe of civili- 
zation. As an oflicer he is efHcient and popular, 
and his careful business training eminently fits him 
to discharge the duties of the position to which he 
has been chosen. 



f/OIlN H. SHEAK, proprietor of Shealc's Ele- 
vator, located on the Iowa Central Raihva}', 
near the depot, Oskaloosa, came to this city 
in 1873, and since that time has been con- 
stant!}' engaged in liis present business. His eleva- 
tor proper has a capacity of 20,000 bushels, and 
Mr. .Sheak has additional storage room for from 
100,000 to 150,000 bushels of grain. 

.Tohn H. JSheak was born in Dutchess County, N. 
Y.. Dec. 19, 1837, and is a son of Emery and Sarah 
(Pettit) Sheak. His parents were natives of New 
Yoi'k, and John II. was reared to manhood in that 
State. On attaining tlie age of maturity he engaged 
in the grain trade in New York City, Philadelphia, 
and also Blairsville, Pa., and was thus occupied for 
about six years, when he came, in 1873, to this 
county, and located as stated. 

Mr. Sheak was married in Blairsville, Pa., Sept. 
10, 1867, to Miss Lizzie, daughter of Luthei' Mar- 
tin. She was born in Blairsville. Pa., and bore 
our subject one child, David W'., who is deceased. 
In politics Mr. Sheak is a Republican. He is one 
of those business gentlemen so essential to the pros- 
perity of a community or cit}- that it is almost ini- 
[jossible to dispense with their presence and expect 
tlie city to develop and prosper. 



ROF. R. H. JOHNSON, President of Oska- 
loosa College, is a native of Washington, 
111., where he was born March 2, 183.5, and 
is a son of John and Martha (McCorkle) 

Johnson, the first a native of Ohio, and the latter 

of Kentuckj-, and were married Dec. 29, 1831. 

John Johnson had a family of seven children : B. 

W.,now editor of the St. Louis Christian Eoaiigel- 




ist\, Eliza J., deceased ; J. B., at present pastor of the ;:i 
Chiristian Church at Lincolii, Neb.; Mar}' E., wife Sm 
of James Holland, of ^Vashington, 111.; Belle, now ki 
deceased, was the wife of J. W 
"Western Avenue Christian Church, Chicago ; George p i 
is still living with his parents at Washington, 111 
R. H., our subject. 



1 

Set 

5U 
R.;i 

Prof. Johnson was reared on a farm until he ar- 3-i 

:.:ti 
rived at the age of eighteen years, when he at- : it 

tended college at Eureka, 111., under the teaching of ' 
Prof. Loos, and upon the transfer of the Professor ; 
to Bethany College, Mr. Johnson went with him, I l 
remaining until Jnly 4, 1859, when he graduated, jj P4 
He then returned to Washington and entered Eu- sKj 
reka College as one of its professors, where he re- i^W 
mained three years, and during which time, Aug. pij) 
11, 1862, was united in marriage with JNIiss Susan J£- 
S. Smith, a native of Bridgewater, Vt. In 186-1: 
they removed to Williamsville, N. Y., where Mr. 
Johnson officiated as Principal of Williamsville 
Classical Institute for three years, removing from 
there to Lockhaven, Pa., and assuming pastoral 
charge of the Christian Church of that place for 
three years. From there he removed to Tallula, 
111., and was pastor of the churches at that place 
and Matamora until the spring of 1878, at which 
time he removed to Oskaloosa, becoming the pastor 
of the Christian Church at this place iu January, 
1880. In the fall of 1881 he accepted a professor- 
ship in Oskaloosa College, and was advanced, in 
1883, to the Presidency of this institution, which he 
still retains. 

President Johnson and wife are the parents of 
two Sons and two daughters: W. IL, pastor of the 
chiirch at Tallula, 111., was born in Vermont, July 
14, 1864, and is a graduate of Oskaloosa College, ; 
Class of. 1885. He was first pastor at Milton, Iowa. ^ 
and is now in charge of the same church of which j 
his father was pastor when he was a boy; G. IL, ; 
now at home, was born in Lockhaven, Pa., June 18, • 
1867, and is in the Senior Class of 1886-87 at Os- ; 
kaloosa College; Belle, born at Tallula, 111., June ; 
20, 1870, is attending school at home; Carol, born 
Dec. 29, 1878, is at home. President Johnson owns 
two farms comprising 330 acres on sections 2, 14 
and 15. Garfield Township, all of which is improved 
and in a good state of cultivation. In addition to 



bsm|HmB "^^ 





i^ f 










irxinixrxxiiiiijui 



rji 



rrxxi mrjnxraxT r rx 




MAHASKA COUNTY. 




- his college (liitie:^ he is engaged in general fnvniing 
I and stock-raising 

[5 President Johnson is a man of more than or- 
; dinarv attainments, and ranks well among the suc- 
; cessfnl educators of the State. The college is pros- 
\ pering under his management, and the standing of 
J its graduates is the best evidence of the thorough- 
i| ness of the teaching of that institution. 



-^.^i^- 



ill 
m 



m 



->^5^-* 



n 



li 



■^OHN WHITE, deceased, one of the jjioneers 
of Jeft'ers(m and Mahaska Counties, was born 
in Pepperell, Mass., on the -i.Sd of Novem- 
ber, 1813. and was a son of .Teremi.ah and 
Anna White, who emigrated to Western Ohio, and 
settled on the banks of the Big Miami River, near 
a little town by the name of Venice. Here he 
grew to manhood and received his earlj' education. 
His father was a carpenter, which trade he learned 
in the shop at home. AVhile engaged in plowing 
his father received serious injuries by the team run- 
ning aw.aj', which soon after caused his death, and 
upon the son devolved the care of his mother for 
manj" years. He removed about the j'car 18.')3 to 
White Water in the southern part of Ohio, and be- 
came .acquainted with Miss Martha .Jane Cloud, to 
whom he was afterward married in Dearborn County, 
lud. Slie was a daughter of .Tohn and Mary 
(Johnson) Cloud, natives of Kentucky, who were 
among the earl^^ settlers of Ohio, emigrating to 
White Water, Hamilton Count^', at a very earl3' date. 
In those early times the Indians were yet trouble- 
some and dangerous, and Father Johnson stood 
guard manj- nights with gun in hand, ready for any 
emergencj-. 

Mr. and ilrs. Cloud were the parents of five 
children, three daughters and two sons: John, now 
living near Cincinnati, Ohio; Ruth -A., wife of 
James \'an Dolor, now of Bourbon Count}', Kan., 
near Ft. Scott; and Martha J., wife of the subject 
of this sketch. Mr. and ^Mrs. Cloud were lifelong 
members of the close communion Baptist Church. 
He was an ardent supporter of Gen. Jackson, and 
a believer in that school of politics. He was a man 
of strong likes and dislikes, and well informed upon 



all matters of importance. They removed to Dear- 
born County, Ind., and are both now deceased. 

In 1810 the subject of this sketch, with his wife 
and two children, removed to Jefferson County, 
Iowa, coming b}' boat to Burlington, and by stage 
to Fairfield, near which he purchased a piece of 
land and engaged in farming, remaining there till 
the month of May, 1843, at the time of the New- 
Purchase, when he visited Oskaloosa and entered 
a body of land one mile north of the public square. 
He remained here through the summer, while Mrs. 
White looked after the farm in Jefferson County. 
In the spring of 1844 he removed with his family 
to this count}' .and established himself on his land 
north of the cit}'. Mr. and Mrs. White came to 
this count}' poor, but with a determination to suc- 
ceed in life, and he eventually became the wealth- 
iest man in the county. His first business was that 
of farming, in which he engaged extensively and 
successfully, and by economy and the careful in- 
-vestment of his means, accumulated a large amount 
of real property. He afterward engaged in the 
business of banking, and in the year 1857 estab- 
lished the private bank of John White & Co., which 
continued only a few months, when the firm sold 
out to W. H. Seevers & Co. who shortly afterward 
were compelled to close their doors, by the panic 
of 1857. A few days later this bank was again re- 
opened by John White & Co., and on the 12th of 
October, 1858, upon the establishment of the Os- 
kaloosa Branch of the State Bank of Iowa, volun- 
tarily quit business and transferred its trade to the 
new institution, the capital stock of which was 
$50,000. yix. White was a stockholder, one of the 
Directors, and its first President. 

Jan. 1, 1864, the First National Bank of Oska- 
loosa was established, of which ]\Ir. White was the 
principal stockholder and President, and the organ- 
ization continued until Dee. 7, 1868, when it went 
into voluntary liquidation. Mr. White then opened 
a private bank, which he operated for a short time, 
when he bought a controlling interest in the Na- 
tional State Bank, of Oskaloosa, which had been 
organized JMay 1, 1865. He removed its books 
and papers from its location on the north side of 
the square to his own building, and for several 
months its business was practically suspended, for 



m 
m\ 



m\ 



iixmi 


B^ 


ifzxnx 


B^i. 



■ rixixxTii rzrxi 



1 , z^:^^], z 

KTxnrTroBiai 




» I J UtU TT2XIJ n ' 



rmrrrTiTrmnTi/TZXTTri . 



202 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 




reasons best known to its owners. It was, however, 
revived, and Mr. White continued as its President 
until his death in 1870, sometime after which the 
bank and its franchise was sold to Seth Richards. 
It has since been succeeded in its business and 
good-will by the Osl^aloosa National Bank of this 
city, regarding which, see elsewhere in this volume. 
The building so long used by Mr. White as a bank- 
ing house is at present occupied by the Mahaska 
County Bank, of which the Hon. J. A. L. Crook- 
ham is President. 

Mr. White was a close observer of men and 
things, a man of fair education, and a shrewd busi- 
ness man, careful in his investments, which gener- 
ally yielded good returns, with few, if any, losses. 
He was a man of temperate habits, using neither 
tobacco nor intoxicants. Politicallj' he was a Jack- 
son Democrat, and a leader in his party, a man who 
never desired political prominence or office for 
himself, but always manifested a deep interest in 
the success of his friends. By reason of his long 
experience in the banking business he was well 
known over the entire State, and abroad as well as 
at lK)me enjoyed the confidence of the business 
world, and the esteem of friends and neighbors 
wlio best knew him. He was a member of the var- 
ious Masonic bodies in this city, and upon his 
death, Dec. 24, 1870, was buried with full honors 
of Masonr}^ bj' Conimandery No. 6, K. T., of this 
citj', of which he was an honored member. 

Mrs. Wliite still survives, and resides in Oska- 
loosa. She is a lady whose whole life has been a 
continued worlv of liind actions and benevolence, 
and enjoj-s not onl^' the highest regard of a large 
circle of friends and acquaintances, but receives as 
well the blessings of scores of poor people in Os- 
kaloosa, who have been the recipients of her bounty 
for many j'ears. 

Tliere were born to jMr. and Mrs. White twelve 
children, one of whom is yet living: Edmund 
Bond was born Aug. 13, 1848, and died Jan. 13, 
1859; Mary A., born Aug. 16, 1840, died March 
12, 1853; Harriet, born July 10, 1842, died the 
same day; Auastasia, born May 20, 1844, died Oct. 
1, 1850; Iowa, born Dec. 2, 1846, became the wife 
of E. W. Strong, Jan. 10, 1864, and died in this 
city on the 11th of December, 1864; Jennie was 



, zm 

^= ;-h 

born Oct. 2, 1856, and is the wife of Ernest H. = Pj 

Gibbs, Esq., a capitalist of this city, and the wealth- ] ^4 

iest man in the countj". 

The portraits of Mr. White and wife are pre 

sented in connection with this sketch. 



■-i's^'-^^s^ >^iS^<=;«^*'^s«f- 




s;;ti 

|! 

81:1 



ILLIAM E. WILLIAMS, residing on sec- 
tion 14, Des Moines Township, was born Sti 
in South Wales in 1826, and is the son of aij 
Erasmus and Elizabeth (Luelans) Williams, both l^ 
natives of South Wales. His father was a coal j [J 
miner, and William followed the same occupation. Sti 
Believing America offered a better chance for a 
poor man, William decided to emigrate, and landed S 
in New York Nov. 8, 1862, after a stormy voyage 
of three months on board the steamer Benjamin : 
Adams. He first located at Scranton, Pa., where : 
he lived two years engaged in mining. He then :;3| 
went to California, where he remained one year, s J 
engaged in coal mining, after which he returned to S;} 
Wales, where he visited one year, coming back to :^} 
America and again locating at Scranton. After ;';J 
the expiration of two years he went to Luzerne ;} 
County, Pa., and lived one year, from which place sij 
he went to Akron, Ohio, and there lived one year, S^! 

Si' 1 
going thence to Brazil, lud., where he remained gfj 

two years. Oskaloosa, Iowa, was the next place Sj;} 

of his abode. For seven years he remained in the ||} 

vicinity of Oskaloosa, engaged in coal-mining and gj;} 

farming. He then made a second trip to Call- ^^ 

fornia, and spent one year subsequently in travel 

ing tlirough Idaho, Oregon, Vancouver's Island ^ 



and ^'ictoria. 



He then returned to Oskaloosa and Sr y 



Hi: t 

Si 



remained one year, then purchased twenty-seven ||| 
and a half acres of land, where he now lives. 

Before coming to the United States Mr. AVilliams ^m 
was united in marriage to Catherine Willi.ams, by ^:'^^ 
whom he had two sons — Morgan and William — pi 
both of whom are in the old country. Mrs. Will- a[-i 
iams died in 1872, and Mr. Williams was again Sn 
married, choosing as a companion Mary Pearce, a =;i 
native of Wales. Their married life was of short E i 
duration, Mrs. Williams dying in 1874. For the 3|^ 
third time Mr. Williams was united in marriage, 3 
the ceremony taking place Jan. 1, 1880, and B 




I^JHga^o 



h'r'Hr'r'rl 




MAHASKA COUNTY. 



203 



' the bride being Jane Edwards, also a native of 

■ Wales. Two children have been born to them — 

: David and John. Mrs. Williams is the owner of 

il:>5 sixt3'-seven acres of well-improved farm land. Our 

li^ subject and wife arc members of the Congrega- 

» S tional Church. 




-5^^> 



-*v^ 



^ C. BARRINGER, M. D., of Osl<aloosa, was 
born in Washington County, Ohio, May 29, 
1849. He is the son of Joseph and Eliza- 
beth (Cook) Barringer, and his mother died 
M?fcat his birth. The father was a Methodist minister 
jilEand died in 1S72. Dr. Barringer was reared 
};^ by Charles D. Cook, and received his education 
JPE through his means at Marietta College. When 
JiiEtwent3' j'cars of age, J. C. entered the office of Dr. 
}||b. F. Culver, late Surgeon of the 148th Ohio Regi- 
JiiCment, afterward the 8th Ohio. Dr. Culver was a 
Jul graduate of both Starling Medical College and 
jpBellevue Hospital, N. Y., and was one of the most 
} Is prominent physicians of his State. Here young 
[jS Barringer pursued his reading, and while with Dr. 
I Ijj Culver attended Starling Jledical College, gradiia- 
''•"i'tins with honors in tlie class of 1873. He imme- 
ii;[tdiately went to Williamsburg, Va., and engaged in 
the practice of his profession. Dec. 1, 1876, he 
i^came to Oskaloosa, commenced practicing, medi- 
1 St cine, and continued alone in the business until 
1^1880, when he formed a partnership with his 
1 -IE brother-in-law, Dr. J. S. Henderson. In 1880 he re- 
v;*ceived the appointment as Surgeon of the Consoli- 
liEdation Coal Company, by its then Superintendent, 
ij^EH. W. McNeill, which position he still holds, as 
calso that of Surgeon of the Burlington & Western 
Tiii Railwaj-. 

i;; Surgeon of the Excelsior Coal Company, which po- 
i Esition he still Alls. In 1884 he received the ap- 
lifipointment of Surgeon for the American Coal Com- 
i :iK pany and the Western Union Fuel Companj^ both of 
tf E which he resigneil on account of his iucreasing cit}' 



111 1 882 he received an appointment as 



: practice. He lias been Secretaiy of the Mahaska 
i^ ; County Medical Society for the past nine j-ears. 
Ifs In the fall of 1879 the Doctor was elected Coro- 
: ner of Mahaska Countj-, and is now serving bis 
: fourth term in that otlice. He is a member of the 



Des Moines Valley Medical Society. Previous to 
coming to Oskaloosa, he was a member of the 
State and Washington County Medical Societies in 
Ohio, hold the office of Secretary of the latter 
Society, and in 1876 represented the county in the 
State Medical Association. The Doctor is a mem- 
ber of the various Masonic bodies of Oskaloosa, and 
has represented Hiram Chapter in Grand Convoca- 
tion as its High Priest. He is also a member of the 
Order of Knights of Pythias. 

Sept. 1, 1869, he was married to Miss Bera 
Henderson, a native of Virginia. The Doctor en- 
joj-s a large and lucrative practice among our best 
people, and is counted an able physician and skill- 
ful surgeon. What he has accomplished is purely 
the result of self-denial and hard work, no silvered- 
spoon fortuity of circumstance having surrounded 
the early years of his practice in Oskaloosa, and his 
success in his chosen profession is but another evi- 
dence of what a man can accomplish if he will. 

VS. HART, of White Oak Township, dealer 
in lumber, lime, hair, shingles and lath, is 
a member of the firm of Kalb.ach & Sou 
of Oskaloosa, and engaged in business at Rose Hill. 
He was born in Washington County, Ohio, Aug. 
31, 1842, and is the son of David and Amanda 
(Green) Hart, who are natives of Pennsylvania, 
but now reside in Ohio and pursue the occupation 
of farming. 

W. S. Hart came to Mahaska County' in 1869, 
but prior to his removal to this State, and in May, 
1862, enlisted in Co. A, 87th Ohio Vol. Inf., for 
three months, and served out his full term of en- 
listment. He was captured at Harper's Ferry, Va., 
in August, 1862, by a force of rebels under Stone- 
wall Jackson, was paroled the same day, and sent 
to Camp Delaware, Ohio, and tiiere mustered out 
of service. 

Mr. Hart was married, July 23, 1865, to Miss 
Lorena Ellis, a daughter of Reuben and Rebecca 
(Farris) Ellis. The first-named died in Mahaska 
Count3% Iowa, and the latter is still living in Rose 
Hill. Mr. and Mrs. Hart are the parents of three 
children, as follows: Florence R., William H. and 



k.il 

If 



I I_I tXXXU 1 1 1 XT I 1 1 1-J 1 



llil 
flip 
1 ill 



Charles F. ; they also have an adopted child, named 
Nona B. 

Mr. Hart is a member of the O. A. R., and po- 
liticall}' is a Republican. As a business man he is 
thorough-going, energetic, a good manager, and 
thoroughly conversant with the details of his busi- 
ness. He is a pleasant gentleman, socially .and 
otherwise, and greatly esteemed in the business 
and social circles of his community. 



m 



m 



->-^^^>4gl0i^-<=5^-<J- 




ATHER M. O'CARROLL was born in Ire- 
land. He was reared in the lower walks of 
life. His parents were farmers, and he was 
educated in his native country and sj)ent nearly fif- 
teen years in his studies. He was ordained a priest 
by Bishop Whalen of Bombay, at Dublin, Ireland, 
June 24, 1871. Shortly after his ordination as 
priest he came to America, and was located in Fay- 
ette County, Iowa, until 1876, thence to Clayton 
County, where he remained until 1879, and in the 
fall of that year was assigned to the church at Oska- 
loosa. Under his care his church has prospered 
greatly, more so than under the pastorate of any of 
his predecessors. 



L-^^^OBIAS LEIGHTON, one of the pioneers of 
Jlaliaska County, was born in Somerset Coun- 

, '/ ty, Mc, April 4, 1812, and is the son of James 

and lilizabeth (Quinby) Leighton. He was reared 
upon a farm and educated in a common school, 
supplemented by one term at Anson's Academy. 
When eighteen years of age he began the trade of 
carpenter and joiner, serving an apprenticeship of 
three years, I'eceiving for his services $60 per year 
and his board. In the year 1836 he turned his 
face toward the setting sun, and coming west set- 
tled in Scott County, 111. 

He was married, Dec. 3, 1840, to Miss Harriet A. 
Coe, who was born in Greene County, 111., Feb. 17, 
1823. In 1844 they came to Wapello County, 
Iowa, and in the spring of 1847 came to Oskaloosa, 
purchased a lot, and the year following he built his 
house, where he has lived consecutively since. In 



early life he was a Whig, but has affiliated with the 
Republican party since its organization. He was 
an anti-slavery man during all the daj's of the 
agitation of that subject. He was a member of 
the first board of Councilmen of the city of Oska- 
loosa, and during his residence here has held many 
local offices. 

Mr. and Mrs. Leighton are the parents of two 
living children, Charles and William, both printers 
and members of the Herald Printing Companj'. 
Mr. Leighton is a man who does his own thinking, 
talks little, but always acts at the proper time and 
on the right side of all important public matters. 
He enjoys in a marked degree the esteejn and con- 
fidence of his fellow-citizens. 



m 

3!; 



i 



n 



SI 




D. EDMUND AUGUSTUS BOYER was 
numbered among those who were truly 
pioneers of Mahaska County, and his name 
will ever be held in grateful remembrance 
by all who appreciate what the pioneers had to un- 
dergo to make the wilderness a happy home for 
civilized man. Dr. Boyer was a native of Union- 
town, Md., born March 13, 1816. At the time of 
his birth, and for some years afterward, his father 
was the owner of a number of slaves, but becoming 
convinced that slaver}' was a crime, and not wish- 
ing to rear his family where they would be sur- 
rounded b}' such evil influences, and where they 
would be dependent upon others, he liberated his 
■slaves, after liberally providing for them, and 
moved with his family to Ohio. Here the Doctor 
grew to manhood and entered the medical profes- 
sion. 

In 1840 Dr. Boyer was united in marriage with 
Miss Mary Wilej', of West Lake, Ind., but a native 
of Vermont, and immediately moved to Iowa, lo- 
cating in Van Buren County, where he remained 
three j'ears. In April, 1843, he came to Mahaska 
County, picked out his claim, and in May follow- 
ing, just as soon as the country was thrown open 
for settlement, moved his family here, becoming 
one of the first, if not the first, permanent settler 
of the county. Dr. and Mrs. Bo3'er reared a fam- 
ily of nine children, five boys and four girls, all of 



ii 



tn 



13 

1=1 






IN 

In 

in 

i;: 
i; 

I! 

IIS 



whom are living save Mrs. Anna Scott, wife of Dr. 
D. Scott, formerly of this county. The livin<^ 
oliiklreii arc: ^fary R., wife of John I\. Barnes, 
i>f Oskaloosa; William E., merchant, at Tracy, 
Iowa; Richard 31., a f.«irmer in Mahaska County; 
Frank D., a merchant in Oskalousa : Klla, wife of Dr. 
K. 1>. Vonng. Red Oak, Iowa ; Edmund A., Jr., a real- 
estate dealer in Dodge Citj', Ivan.; Fannie, wife of 
Smith Mcl'herson.for four years Attorney General 
of Iowa, now engaged in the practice of iiis pro- 
fession at Red Oak, Iowa: Thomas II.. at present 
I'nitcd St.ates 3Iail Messenger on tlie C A- X. W. 
K. R., residing in Belle PJainc. 

For fifteen j'ears after coming to this county Dr. 
Boyer practiced medicine.' In order to give his 
undivided attention to his farm and store he tlien 
retired from practice. He was a man of large re- 
sources, a great reader, and a deep and practical 
reasoner, and possessing a reniarkable memor}-, it 
made him a leader among men. He was always a 
zealous politician, ever working for the success of 
his party and friends, yet never sought, nor would 
he accept public positicju liimself. Reared as he 
was in a home of ]ilenty, and used tnitil nearly 
grown to all tlic luxuries and ease of plantation 
life, with slaves to do his every bid<liug. yet he was 
ever self-dependent and free from taint of aristoc- 
racy, and always sought to exalt labor and honest 
self-dependence. 

In early life Dr. Boyer allied himself witli tlie 
Whig part}-, but being strongly prejudiced against 
slaver}-, on the organization of the Republican 
party, he naturally found a home within its ranks. 
He was one of the first to espouse its cause in Ma- 
haska County, and was numbered among its organ- 
izers here. The Republican party found in him a 
strong advocate until, as he thought, its mission was 
ended, and that living issues should be discussed. 
The friend of the laboring man, and deeply desir- 
ous of doing all he could to advance his interests, 
when the Greenback Labor party was formed, he 
became one of its adherents .and worked as faith- 
fully in its behalf as ever hejldid in behalf of the 
Republican part}-. Strong in his political views, 
he made both friends and enemies. l)ut all resiiectcd 
him as a men of sterling worth, true to his friends, 
kind .and provident in his family, and alw.ays ready 



205 

to extend a helping hand to the unfortunate. For 
nearly half a centui-y he was a resident of Mahaska 
County. Every change that was made in trans- 
forming the wilderness into a thickly settled and 
prosperous country, he witnessed and participated K 
in. The liome which he founded was a hospitable 
one, and fr(nn it have been sent forth some who 
now occupy useful and honorable positions in 
town, county and State. Dr. Boyer, after an ill 





ness of more than one year's duration, died Feb. 
G, 1880, .at his farm in Scott Township, on which 
he first settled when he came to this county. The 
funeral services were conducted by Rev. .1. M. 
Baugh, who spoke feelingly of the dead husband. L^^ 
father and friend. The body was then laid at res 
in the churchyard at Olivet, there to wait the 
surrection morn. 



3>I<E 




,^^ W. OLLER is manager of the business of 
II ^--, ,J. W. Oiler, dealer in groceries and whole- 
^^^ sale flour and feed, West High street, Oska- 
loosa. He was born Sept 1!), 1838, and is a son of 
Peter and Elizabeth (Knowles) Oiler, natives of 
Virginia. Tliey are lioth deceased. They were 
the parents of seven children, four of whom are 
living: Jacob is a farmer in Texas; G. W., our 
subject; Harrison is a farmer iu Illinois; Phiann 
is the wife of Samuel Weldon. a retired farmer at 
Beloit. Kan. 

At the age of sixteen the subject of this sketch 
removeil with his parents to Hancock County. 111., 
where his father bouglit a farm, and he a,*sisted in 
its cultivation. Aug. -^8, 18.')8, he was united in 
marriage with Miss Ardeuia Trimble, a native of 

1 Kentucky, .and a daugliter of John and Rachel 
Trimble. By this marri.age there have been two "TjM" 
children: J. W., born in Hancock County. 111., is gg^ 

j a grocer in Oskaloosa, and Ida is the wife of Eli ■""■ 

I McCorkle, an extensive grain and stock dealer of 
Superior. Xeb. 

Jlr. Oiler first settled at Keokuk, remaining there 

I for a short time, and in 180G came to Oskaloos.a, 
and engaged with Mattison Bros., grocers, as sales- 
man, remaining with them about seven years, and 

i afterward followed farming for a time. In the 



l^raa 



J xurr* I ixixrriujEi r i 



''TTr rTTyfy> rt rm \ p 



• jr-i"^ I lUXlXIXXTlXIUllXIX 



I LJL-i.'-AJiii 



I u 1 r iTxmni imx c; 



■20(3 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



Hi 



Pi 



fall of 1881 the present business was started by his 
son, but the father has been tlie manager of the 
business. Their branch store on the southeast cor- 
ner of the square was established in Julj', 1886, 
and it, as well as the parent house on West High 
street, is doing a fine l)usiness. 3Ir. Oiler is a 
member of the Masonic fraternity. While compara- 
tively a new man in the luisiness circles of this city 
lie has succeeded in Ijuilding up a fine business, 
which is rapidly growing, and has done this by fair 
dealing and the sale of the best goods at a moder- 
ate profit. 

I A.MKS LiaciITOX was iM.rn .Jan. lU, 1772, 
and was married May 20, 1802, to Elizabeth 
(^uinby, who was born March 1(\ 1782. He 
^_^ was a farmer and miller, and built the first 
tlduring-mill in his neighborhood. Mr. and Mrs. 
Leigliton were the parents of eleven children, all of 
whom lived to man and womanhood. Five yet 
survive, as follows: Dr. .James Leighton, of Jlan- 
chester. 111., a graduate of Bowdoin College; Eliza- 
beth lives in Du (^uoin. Perry Co., 111.; William is 
now a farmer in Logan County, 111.; lie has held 
.several ofHces, among them those of C'ount3' .Judge 
and Clerk of Courts; Rebecca Walker, widow of 
Smitii Walker, of Du ^uoin. Perry Co.. 111.; 
Tobias, of Oskaloosa. .Jonathan Avas a surgeon in 
the Hl.ack Hawk War. and a graduate of Bowdoin 
College; he dieil in 18.57. Mr. James Leighton 
died .Inly 18, 1827. llis wid-jw survived him until 
Jan. '.), 18():i. They were butli niemliers of the 
Baptist Church. 



#••# 



,|^^' |Tpv 11. BACON. The firm of Cruzen di Bacon, 
fnf'i Ikv^ grocers at Oskaloosa, coniposed of Jerome 
B. Cruzen and R. 11. Bacon, has established a 
^ good and const.antl.y increasing trade. Their 
success has been attained b^y fair and honest dealing, 
and is attributable to their own energy and [icrse- 
verance. R. II. Bacon was born in \\'ashington 
County, Ohio, .Ian. 2'.), 1.S4."), and is a son of Martin 
and Lucy A. (Benjamin) Bacon. He came to Ma- 




haska Conntj' iu 1834, and took up his residence in 
White Oak Township. A year and a half later he 
went to Van Buren County, where he resided for 
eight years, when he returned to White Oak Town- 
ship, and after being engaged in agi-icidtural pur- 
suits there for upward of three j'ears, moved to 
Oskaloosa. He then engaged as engineer, and for 
seven years was occupied in that capacity in a flour- 
ing-mill. He then spent two j'ears on the farm, 
when he came to Oskaloosa and embarked iu the 
grocery- business, which he continued for about a 
vear, and then disposed of the same. In August, 
1885, our subject formed a jjartnership with Mr. J. 
B. Cruzen, under the firm name of Cruzen & Bacon, 
which co-partnership exists at the present time. 

K. II. Bacon was united in marriage, at Oskaloosa. 
Nov. 10, 187."), with Miss Florence E., daughter of 
Cj'rus Mattox. She is a native of that place, and 
has borne our subject one child, a daughter, Daisy 
May. Mrs. B.icon is a member of the Christian 
Church. !ind holds fellowship with the denomina- 
tion at Oskaloosa. In politics Mr. Bacon votes 
with the Republican part}-, and socially is a mem- 
l)erof the Masonic fraternity, belonging to Trilum- 
inar Lodge No. l.s. 

C. MORGAN is a farmer and fine stock- 
raiser on section ;!1, Wliite Oalv Township. 
He was born in .Mahaska County, Iowa, 
Nov. 28, 18;j7,and is the son of Louis B. and S. A. 
(Smith) Morgan, the former a native of Mrginia 
and tlie latter of Teimessee. Louis B. Morgan first 
left llis native State and went to Illinois in an 
early day, remaining there until about 1845, during 
which year he came to this county, and settled in 
White Oak Township. This was long prior to the 
time when land came into market, but he staked 
off a claim, built a cabin thereon 10x12, and lived 
in it until the land came into market. He built the 
first frame house erected in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. He 
was one of the heavj^ tax-payei's in this township 
during his life, took an active interest iu ever3-thiug 
that tended to advance the interests of the people 
around him and build up his county, and was very 
prominent in its early development. He died at 










m 
m 

In 
i 



Z'M 






'-n 

Z'-A 

:-A 



i TTirTll Mnju; 



re 



TTTTllIllllIllllUltrl 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 




"S? 



207 



the home farm, Oct. 26, 1864, and his remains lie 
in White Oalc Cemetery. His widow siirvivi's. and 
is sixt3'-eight years old. 

The subject of this sketch, C. C. Jlorgan, was 
married, Feb. 28. 18,S0, to Mis.s Alice Hond, a 



It 

l:P 
["• = 

fi 

I SB 

':« daughter of Edwin and Nancy .T. (Bridges) Hond. 

Sr Mrs. Bond was born in an Indian bark house in 
this township. Her father was a prominent man 
among the early settlers, and liimself and wife are 

?6 still living a retired life in this count}-. To Mr. 
and Mrs. Morgan have been born four children — 
S. Clay, Artimesia, Rena and Ida. Politically Mr. 
Morgan is a Democrat. He is the owner of seventy- 
five acres of land, all in excellent cultivation and 
well improved. Like his father l)efore him, he is a 

r| pleasant gentleman, whom to know is to like. His 
home is one of generous hospitality, and friends are 
ever welcome there. 



I 

St 



^t^' 



2=i=. 






i?.i 




ILLIAM M. SPRINGER, of Garfield 
Townsiiip, is a native of Marshall Count}', 
111., where he was born Feb. 26, 1849, and 
is a son of Isa.ac and Charlotte (Ijams) Springer, 
the first a native of ^Maryland and the second of 
Ohio. Isaac was born in Maryland, Ma}^ 7, 1798, 
and was a son of John and Rebecca Springer. 
When two 3'ears of age he removed with his par- 
ents to AVest Virginia, where he remained a few 
years, and then removed to Muskingum County, 
Ohio, where he was married in the sjiring of 1826. 
They were tlie parents of twelve children, and the 
subject of this sketch was the eleventh child. Isaac 
died March 17, 1853. and his wife in .June, 1870. 
She was an acceptable member of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church. 

William M. Springer was reared on a farm, but 
entered Hedding College at Abingdon, which he 
attended for three \-ears, receiving a very liberal 
education. Upon leaving selK)ol he went to Chi- 
cago, and officiated as Deputy Recorder in that 
city for two j-ears, and then returned to his home 
farm, .and engaged in the breeding of Short-horn 
cattle, continuing that business for five years, when, 
having disposed of his interest in Illinois, be came 



to this county in the year 1882, and located at the 
western limit of Oskaloosa. where he still resides, 
and at once engaged extensively in the importation 
and breeding of French draft horses. His first im- 
portation w.as five head of horses in .Inly, 18s;). .and 
the next year four. In 188,5 he imported nineteen 
head, and in 1886 twenty-nine head. At the head 
of his stables is the celebrated horse .Montevilliers, 
No. 249.5, of the National Register of French 
draft horses, which horse is always kept at the home 
farm. His l)arns, one 40x60 feet and 24-feet posts, 
and one 10x100 feet, are models in their arrange- 
ment for the care of the.se fine animals. He keeps 
on hand .at all times horses of all .ages for .sale, .and 
is prepared to lo.ad and ship at any time, a single 
horse or carload of them. 

Associated with Mr. Springer in this enterprise is 
Mr. C. T. AVillard of this city, under the firm name 
of Springer & Willard. and it is the intention of 
the firm to continue the importation of the best 
families of this breed of horses in the future in 
larger numbers than ever before. The good results 
of his importations are alread}' apparent in the im- 
provement of the stock of this count}', and the firm 
seems to encounter no difficulty whatever in dispos- 
ing of fine animals at good round figures. All of the 
import.ations have been made by Mr. Springer, who 
has visited France, spending several months of each 
year in that country, m.aking his selections from 
the best families of horses, with little regard to 
price, where the qualities of the animal seem to 
justify it. That he has alw.ays made good selec- 
tions is best proven by the national reputation he 
now enjoys and the ready sale of the animals se- 
lected by him. jNIen who inaugurate such enter- 
prises as this, in which they take a proper pride, as 
does the subject of this sketch, certainly deserve 
more than ordinary commendation in any commu- 
nity. They .are benefactors, in that they seek to 
do good unto others while financially benefiting 
themselves. Mr. Springer enjoys the confidence 
and esteem of all who know him, and is a most 
honorable and high-minded gentleman, whose words 
have alw.ays proven good as gold. 

Mr. Springer was married, March 1, 1877. to 
Mary Reece, a daughter of David Reece, of Abing- 
don. 111. They are the parents of five children : 




i 



f 



' 'gxifxtxg; 
1 1 nrTiTTrnfir 




rrri rrimifS t j r ama i 




iii'KimntJiinj-i' 



208 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 









P^ederick Reece, born May 28, 1878; Florence M., 
Dec. 17, 1881; Paul Melville and Pauline Clara, 
April 28, 1884; Paul M. died Aug. 30 of the same 
3^car; and Gertrude Louisa was born Oct. 13, 1885. 

ANFORD COCHRAN is a faruier and 
stock-raiser on section 32, White Oak Town- 
ship. He was born in Muskingum County, 
Ohio, Dec. 21, 1817, and is the son of Lar- 
kins and Christina (Warner) Cochran, who were 
natives of Virginia. They removed to Ohio in the 
IL early settlement of that State, pursuing the occupa- 
tion of farming. The father died in Ohio, in the 
j-ear 1820, and the mother in McLean County, 111., 
in 1859. 

The subject of this sketch, Sanford Cochran, emi- 
grated to Wisconsin from Ohio in 1851, coming to 
Mahaska Countj', in 1855, where he has resided 
ever since. He was united in marriage to Miss 
Elizabeth Vandevender in the State of Indiana, in 
183'.). She is the daughter of Louis and ^Mary 
(Evans) Vandevender, both of German descent, and 
both of whom are now deceased. The fi^rmer died 
in 1877, and the latter in 1847. Mr. and Mrs. 
Cochran are the p.arents of nine children : George 
W., born Jan. 1 1, 1841, is married to Anna Baitscl, 
and lives in Cedar Township; Amanda, liorn 
Feb. 19, 1843, was the wife of R. W. Caldwell, now 
deceased; Wilson S., born Oct. 14, 1846, died Feb. 
26, 1848; Lewis C, born Dec. 4, 1848, was married 
to Lilian Perkins, and died in California in May, 
1875; Oliver C, born Nov. 2)S, 1850, w.as married 
to Ellen Rice and resides in Cedar Township ; .John 
W., born Dec. 6, 1855, lives with his parents; 
Laura, born Nov. 8, 1857, is the wife of J. C. Will- 
iams, residing in Taylor Count}', Iowa; Clara, born 
March 3, 1862, lives with her parents; Mary E., 
born July 8, 1864, is also at home. Mrs. Cochran 
is a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian 
Church. 

Politically Mr. Cochran is a Democrat, but has 
never been an ofHee-holder, beyond the position of 
Township Trustee. His homestead consists of 223 
acres of tine land, all in cultivation, with good house 



1 



and barn, and excellent improvements of all kinds. 9s 
Mr. Cochran has lived in the countj' a third of a fe 
century and has been a witness of its development 
to a ver}' high type of civilization. He has passed 5ei 
through the struggles and privations incident to M 
pioneer life, and now enjoys the fruits of those [j; 
early struggles and trials. He has prospered well, 
and enjoys the confidence and esteem of his numer- 
ous friends and acquaintances. 



^?=^EORGE GILCHRIST, a farmer and stock- 
I (=y7 raiser, residing on section 17, Spring Creek 
^^S^ Township, was born in Fayette County, Pa., 
April 16, 1826, and is a son of John and Eleanor 
(Swearingen) Gilchrist, both natives of Pennsyl- 
vania, and both died there. The subject of this a^M 



1 
1 

1 
1 






1 



m 



m 



sketch, George Gilchrist, came to this county in 
the spring of 1858, and in the spring of the fol- 
lowing j'ear, bought and removed to the land he 
now owns, where he has continuously resided except 
five years during the Rebellion. His farm consists 
of seventy acres of excellent land, all in a high S^t! 
state of cultivation, with a fine dwelling, good barn 
and out-buildings, and tiie best character of im- 
provements otherwise. 

In August, 1862, Mr. Ciilchrist enlisted in Co. 
K, 33d Iowa Vol. Inf.. under Capt. Mcintosh. At 
the organization of this company !Mr. Gilchrist was 
elected First Lieutenant, and when the regiment 
went into quarters at Camp Tiittle. at Oskaloosa, 
Lieut. Gilchrist was taken ill with fever and ren- 
dered unfit for duty, and the regiment moved to 
the front without him. At the end of a month, 
however, he recovered sufficiently to be able. to 
join his command at Memphis, Tenn., and remained 
with the regiment thereafter until the following 
JVIarch, when he was discharged on account of dis- 
•abiiity. He went then to Pennsylvania, and re- 
n\ained until the spring of 1868, his wife having 
gone there while he was in the army, and they re- 
turnecl to their home in Iowa, where they resided 
until the death of Mrs. Gilchrist, March 12, 1880. 
Oct. 4, 1.S81, he was married to Miss Lizzie Vance, 
a daughter of Samuel Vance, of HaiTlson Town- 
ship, this county. By this union there have been 



::fi 



I I xJrj'aiSpix-txirTiXTXMXrrirrxxiiii] 



!^ rrrr 




■-^ 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 




three children: Nannie B.. horn .I;in. 22, 1S8.'5; 
(Jeorge E. and Elizabeth E., .lunc o, IHH.i. 

Mr. (lilfhrist is a member of the I'nited Presby- 
terian, and his wife of the Christian Chureh. .Mr. 
(iilehrist is a very high-minded, uiiright and hon- 
orable gentleman, the ver3' sunl of honor in his 
transactions among men, whose word is as good as 
a bond, and who occupies the highest possible po- 
sition in the regards of his fellow-men. 

•9^—*^ o-sSMiSH^e.'.^ *— 5<- 

^^ AMUEL MARTIN, of t^arfield Township, 
is an estimable citizen who enjo^'s tiie es- 
teem and confidence of all his ae(piaint- 
ances. He was born in Ohio in ls22,andis 
a son of Evi and Ann (Mills) Martin, both natives 
of Ohio. They removed, in 18.31, to Montgomery 
County, Ind., and there resided until their death, 
the former ilying in 1.S84 at the age of eighty-seven 
3-ears, and the latter in 1883, at the age of eighty- 
three. The subject of this sketch was married in 
1818 to Rebecca Loughridge, a native of Virginia. 
The^- are the parents of four children: William 
Evi, now at Excelsior, in this cotinty, and a sales- 
man in the Mine store at that place; J^ltan, wife of 
William Doan. died in 1882; Benjamin F, died at 
the age of fifteen months; Alice is at home. Mrs. 
Martin was born in 1830, and died Aug. 4, 1876. 

Mr. Martin left Indiana in 18.50, and went to 
Linn Count}', Iowa, where he engaged in farming 
for eight years; he then went to Linn Count}-, Kan., 
where he lived only fifteen months, leaving that 
State on account of drouth, and came to this county, 
settling on section 33, Garfield Township, where 
he now resides. lie owns 120 acres of land, all 
improved, and in a good st.ate of cultivation. He 
follows the business of general farming and stock- 
raising, in which he has been reasonably successful. 

\|] SAAC KALBACll, senior partner of I. Kalbach 
I & Son, the pioneer lumber firm of Oskaloosa, 
/i\ was born in Berks County, Pa., Nov. 13, 1.^22, 
and is the son of John A. and Sarah (Wenrich) 
Kalbach. His parents were natives of Pennsylvania. 
:in(l descendants of the early settlers of that .State. 



His father's family was originally from Switzerland, 
and settled in Pennsylvania l)efore the Revolution- 
ary War. His father, .lohn A., was a soldier of the 
War of LSI 2 an<l is 11. 

The subject of our sketch was reared in his na- 
tive State, where he learned the trade of cabinet- |i 
making, and engaged in tiial business. He was 
married in Schuylkill County, Pa., in November, 
18-1:3, to Miss Christina Koch, a daughter of George 
Koch. Mrs. Kalbach was luirn in Schuylkill 
County, in November, 1821. Nine children were 
born of their union, five daughters and four sons, 
seven of whom are now living: .loiin A., the eldest, 
is the managing i)artner of the lirni of I. Kalbach 
& Son; he married Louie Patterson, and resides at 
Oskaloosa, Iowa; Sarah, the eklest daughter, is now 
Mrs. Shinnick, and is alsc) a resident of Oskaloosa; 
Zachariah T. married Rosa Cole, and was in part- 
nership with his fatlu'r and brother at New Sharon 
in the lumber and banking business; he died Dec. 
2.5, 1878; Emma R. died in .June, 188(5; Clara F. is 
the wife of William 11. Hawkins, of Oskaloosa; 
Alice is single, and resides with her [larents; Will- 
iam II. married Nellie Secvers, and is a junior part- 
ner of the firm of Ilulier & Kalbach, hardware 
dealers of Oskaloosa; George \V. is single, and em- 
ployed in the lumber business with his father and 
brother; Nellie M. is unmarried and living at home. 
The three eldest children were born in I'ennsylva- 
nia. 

^Ir. Kalbach lemoved to Terre Haute. Ind., in 
1841), and from there to JIuscatine, Iowa, in 18.50. 
While making his home at the hitter city, ]Mr. Kal- 
bach was employed on the construction of the Gov- 
ernment buildings at Ft. Dodge. He removed to 
Oskaloosa May 13, 18;51, and has since been a resi- 
dent of the city, covering a period of thirty-five 
years. For sevei'al years after coming to Oskaloosa, 
he was employed in cabinet-work .and various other 
occupations until 1864, when he engaged in the 
lumber business. The following year he admitted 
his son, John A., to partnership, and under the firm 
name of I, Kalbach iV Son they have since carried 
on an extensive and profitable business. On the 
completion of the Central Iowa Railway through 
Mahaska County, he established a branch yard nt 
New Sharon, and also engaged in the grain trade 





ilIXJXXXXZXl 



wtwatawn^' 



IZIXXZXXXZ 



vamuijtn 




ccnmrm 



m 



KJrmm-mi 



'iC^gaa, 



tf If iTiiriits 




niiiiiiiiiXTTTiTirrrTTxi 



TiKiTTTTZ'irnixiiizxrTtxrzS. - 






•210 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



I 






ij 



and banking business at that place, under the firm 
name of I. Kalbach cfe Sons, having associated with 
him ^Ir. Kalliaeli's second son, Zachariah T., who 
died, as already stated, Dec. 2'), l«7s. The busi- 
ness was continued at that place by Mr. Kall)ach. 
Iiis sons. John A. and William H., and his son-in- 
law. W. II. IIawicin>. until 18^.'), when that brancli 
of the business was closed out by mutual consent, 
Mr. Kalijach and his eldest son continuing the lum- 

ilOJ!! her business at Oskaloosa, while W. il. and Mr. 

Hawkins have engaged in other lines of business in 

tlie same city. Mr. Kalbach and son, John A., es- 

tablished a branch lumber-yard at Rose Hill, whicli 

H H they still operate, under the managmeut of W. S. 
Hart. 

jMr. Kalliach in early days was City Marshal of 
, Oskaloosa for several terms, and has ijften served 
in the City Council. He is a member of Cf>mmer- 
cial Lodge No. 12«, I. O. O. F., of Osk.aloosa. Mr. 
K. has retired from active business, and is enjoy- 
i.ig the well-earned ease of honorable old age in his 

1 5^ tasty and commodious residence in the nortlieast- 
ern part of the city. He has his children settled 
about him, and is happy in the enjoyment of the 
friendly regard and high esteem of a large circle of 

jsirajl friends and acquaintances. 



Et :y.. 



8^1 

miD||l 



"JHOSEPH SOPHER is a farmer and stock- 
raiser on section 28, Spring Creek Township. 
He was born in Mahaska County, Aug. 26, 
iC®'/'' 1856, and is a son of William K. and Aanes 
I! I: ill' (Hockett) Sopher. whose biography appears else 

ii 




where in this volume. Joseph Sopher was married 
to Marj' S. Terrell, Oct. 6, 1875. She was born 
Jan. 1, 1857, in Warren County, Ohio, and is a 
daughter of Thomas and Lydia S. (Steddom) Ter- 
rell, wh(; reside in Garfield Township, this county, 
•I lid jiursue the occupation of farming. By this 
union four children have been born: Raymond, 
July 5, 1876, died Feb. 24, 1880; William K., Jr., 
born Feb. 25. 1880; Thomas T., March 17, 1883; 

,^ J. Walter, Marcli 26, 1885. Both parents .are meni- 
i * 

J bers of the Society of Friends. Mr. Sopher owns 
5 101) acres of good land, twenty of which are in sec- 
tion 26, and eiglity in section 33, and all of whicli 




are under good cultivation and well improved. His 
barn is one of the best in the township, and has been 
b\ult with a view to the breeding of thoroughbred 
Short-horn cattle, of which he is making a specialty. 
His herd ahead}' embraces a number of fine animals, 
selected with great care from the best families on 
the continent. He is giving this branch of his busi- 
ness special attention, and takes especial pains in 
the breeding and care of his stock. Fiverything 
indicates a high order of ability in the business 
]iursued, and is ttie best possible encomium that can 
l)e bestowed upon ^Ir. Sopher. 

■SIOIIN R, BARNES, Cashier of the Mahaska 
County Bank at Oskaloosa, and also a mem- 
^^ ber of the firm of Boyer lir Barnes, dealers 
i(^// in general merchandise in that city, has been 
a resident of this county since 1 855. and has been 
closely connected not only with the advancement 
and progress that Oskaloosa has made, but with the 
develoi)ment of the entire county. He was born in 
Stark County, Ohio, Aug. 19, 1833, and is a son of 
Andrew and F^leanor (Robertson) Barnes, natives 
of Pennsj'lvania. The father came to this State in 
1861, and died in the fall of 1874 in Scott Town- 
ship, this county^ His good wife survives him, 
and resides on the old homestead in Scott Town- 
ship. 

John R. Barnes was educated in the common ^-^ 
schools and at Mt. Union College, and, prior to 
1859, was engaged in agricultural pursuits. Dur- 
ing that year he formed a partnership with Dr. 
Boyer, at Rochester, in the mercantile business, 
which was subsequently removed to Belle Fountain, 
thence to Oskaloosa, in 1871, and is at present con- 
ducted under the firm name of Boyer <k Barnes. 
Prior to and since the Doctor's death, which oc- 
curred Feb. 6, 1886, the business has been man- 
aged l)y his son, Frank D. Boyer. 

;Mr. Barnes was one of the organizers of the Ma- 
haska County Bank, in June, 1883, and since that 
time has been its Cashier. He was married Dec. 
27, 1858, in this county, to Miss Mary R. Boyer, 
daugliter of Dr. E. A. and Mary Boyer. Mrs. 
Barnes was born in \'an Buren Count}', this State, 




B^HS 






i 



lis 



hit 



ii 



1 

1 j*. 



I 




and of her union with our subject eight children 
have been born, five sons and three druighters. The 
living are Kdmund A., Andrew T., Nellie, Frankie. 
Fred, John R. and Mamie; William died in in- 
fancy. 

Mr. and Mrs. Bariie.? attend the Presbyterian 
Church. In polities our subject is a Greenliacker. 
In the fall of 1877 he was elected County Treas- 
urer, which office he filled for one term. He has 
also served as County Commissioner, holding that 
office from 1868 to 1871. He is one of the most 
liighly respected citizens of Oskaloosa, a thorough 
and energetic business man, and a genial, whole- 
souled citizen and neighbor. 






'3S 



1* 






OSEPHUS BOND is residing on section 22, 
of .Spring Creek Township, and rents a farm 
of 100 acres. lie was born in ^'ernlilion 
County, 111., Dec. 1.5, 183.5, and is a son of 
Henry and Susan Bond, l)0th of whom were natives 
of Tennessee. Henr}' Bond was a farmer, and died 
in Springfield, ]\Io. ; his wife departed this life in 
White Oak Township, Mahaska Countj'. 

Our subject was married in Oskaloosa, Nov. 17, 
18(50, to Miss Susan Belford, a daughter of Brown 
and Susan Belford, and born in Coshocton County, 
Ohio, April 8, 1840. Thej' were the parents of 
nine children, all still living — Lewis, Ira, Samuel, 
Ada, Harlan, Willie, Amon, Thomas and Mollie. 
Mr. Bond had the sad affliction of losing his wife, 
June 5, 1886. Politicallj- he is a stanch Repub- 
lican. 



-..^-^ si . g; ■»- 



-^^<^ ? — ' , 



JOHN C. WILLIAMS. The legal fraternity 
of the thriving city of Oskaloosa is well 
represented, and prominent among the law 
firms there who are doing their share of the 
business is that of Nelson Ar Williams, of whicii our 
subject is a member. Mr. Williams has been a resi- 
dent of Mahaska County since 1872. He was burn 
at Naperville, Du Page Co., 111.. April ;5. 18.51, and 
is a sou of Robert and Harriet (Parry) Williams. 
The subject of this notice was reared on a farm. 




and received his education in the common schools. 
From the age of maturity until 1 H72 lie was en- 
gaged in the manufacture of cheese in Illinois. He 
then matriculated at Penn College, and after fol- 
lowing the curriculum of that institution, graduated (7^ 
therefrom in the class of 1877. He then be<jan the K 
studj'of law in the office, and under the instructions 
of Bolton & McCoy of Oskaloosa, and was admit- 
ted to the bar in 1881. He immediatel3' entered WJ 
upon the practice of his profession in that city, and IS 
in November, 188,5, formed the existing piirtner- i 
ship with William H. Nelson. 

Mr. Williams was married, Aug. 29, 1878, at 
Oskaloosa, to Miss Lillian N., daughter of Titus 
Boyce. She was born in Salem, Iowa, and their 
union has been blest by the birth of a daughter. 
Bertha II. In politics Mr. Williams is a Democrat. 
He held the i)osition of Count}' Superintendent 
of Schools from 1877 to 1879. Socially he i> .i 
member of the Masonic fraternity, belonging to 
New Sharon Lodge, and of Oskaloosa Lodge No. 
.58, K. of P. He is a gentleman well read in juris- 
prudence, and being a constant student and pos- 
sessed of an unlimited amount of energy, can not 
but succeed in his chosen profession. 



m 



1^ YRON W. PRESTON, of the law firm of 
Blanchard & Preston, was born at Newton, 
Jasper Co., Iowa, Feb. 13, 1858, and is the 
son of Sylvester and Amelia M. (Wild) 
Preston. When twelve 3-ears of age he removed 
with his parents to JMarseilles. 111., and a year later 
to Grinuell, Iowa. He graduated from the Grin- 
nell Academy and attended tlie college department 
two jx'ars, then went to Poughkeepsie, N. Y., and 
graduated from Eastman's Business College. From 
there he removed to Newton, Iowa, remained a 
slK)rt time, and returned to Grinnell, and in July, 
1883, came to Oskaloosa and began the studj' of 
law in the office of Judge L. C. Blanchard. He 
was admitted to the bar in the Circuit Court of 
this county in March, 1884, and in November fol- 
lowing formed tiie existing |)artiiership with his jire- 
ce|)tor. Judge Blanchard. 

Mr. Preston was married at Newton, lowa. Oct. 



i!: 1 



IllIITiriII_IIlI£TTTIXXJ I 



i lii'i I ' i iuiiiixJ S LijLaij ■ iij nn 



iimiimritxjujiiiiii tin 



R^ 



lO ujajCm i 



1^212 




MAHASKA COUNTY 






6, 1880, to Miss Nellie Blanchard, a native of Jas- 
per County, Iowa, and a daughter of M. A. and 
Mary E. Blanebard. By this union there has been 
one child, Kdith, born May 24, 18iS2. The father 
of Mr. Preston is a resident of Grinnell. His 
mother died July G, 1883. In his political relations 
he is a Republican; socially he is a member of Her- 
man Lodge, A. F. eV- A. M., of Grinnell Chapter, 
II. A. M., and Oriental Commandery, K. T., at 
Newton. Though young in his profession, Mr. 
Preston is making rapid strides toward the front 
rank, and is showing marked al)ility in the handling 
i of cases intrusted to his care. He is a young man 
of excellent abilit.y, a close student, h.<ird worker, 
conscientious in the discharge of every duty, and 
possessed of a laudable aml/ition to succeed. He is 
high-minded and honorable, and of strictest integ- 
rit3', and is highly regarded by all who have the 
pleasure of his acquaintance. 



\f 




OlIN AIONA is a painter Ijy trade, residing 
in Fremont. He was born in France, Nov. 
12, 1.S4."), and is the sou of .lohn and Mary 
(Beck) JMona. The father of the subject of 
this sketch was a Captain in the French army, an<l 
served his country with distinguished gallantry, and 
becoming disabled by reas(jn of arduous service re- 
signed his commission and engaged in mi'ichaudis- 
ing, which he continued until the time of his death, 
in France, in l.siU. His wife survives him and re- 
sides at the old home. 

The subject of this sketcli came to this country 

in 1872, having previously served an enlistment of 

six years and three months in the French arinj', 

where he held the position of Sergeant. He was 

•3 married, in l«7(j, to Lucinda Weil, w'ho was born in 

■I Fremont, Jan. 24. 1853, and is a daughter of 

1 Christ and Mary Weil. By this union there have 

been three children — Philip C, Emil and Ernest J. 

She is a member of the Methodist Episcopal 

Church. Air. .Mona is a member of the Masonic 

fraternitj', is politically a Democrat, and is now 

holding the office of Township Clerk and member 

of the Town Council of Fremont. Mr. Mon:i owns 



"Efl 

5-: I 



1 

II 



a pleasant home in Fremont, and is a gentleman 
greatly esteemed by the people among whom he 
resides. 



■^/AMES C. SPELLERS, general tire and life 
insurance agent, at Oskaloosa, representing 
the Iowa State Insurance Companj' ; Imper- 
ial, of London; Girard, of Philadelphia; j|} 
Westchester, of New York; Traders', of Chicago, 
and five others, established his business in Oska- 
loosa in 1873, and has continued in the same until 
the present time, meeting with success. 

James C. Sellers was born in Garrard County, 
Ky., Jan. 14. 1828, and is a son of Nathan and 
JMary (Yowell) Sellers. He removed to Putnam 3; 
County, Ind., with his p.arents in 1830, and con- Ji 
tinned to reside there, engaged in .agricultural pur- 
suits, until 1851. Hoping to better his financial 5;} 
condition in life he, during that year, pushed on 3i 
further into the undeveloped West, and we find Sf 
him located in Monroe County, this State, engaged 3; 
in the labors of a pedagogue. After teaching in Ji 
that county for one winter, he went to Chariton, ! 
the countj' seat of Lucas County, and taught the J 
first school that was ever taught in that count}-. 3; 
Returning to Monroe Countj' he engaged in farm- ;. 
ing and teaching school until 1873, when he re 
moved to Oskaloosa, and has since been occupied p_ 
in the insurance business. On coming to Oska- -''- 
loosa he opened a non-board agency, which excited 
the hostility of other agencies. He nevertheless 
made a good fight and kept it up for three years, 
and until the National Board was broken up, then for 
several j'ears the business was run on sharp compe- 
tition until the organization of the Local Bo.ard in 
1878, which was one of the first in the State, and 
with which our subject has worked ever since. In 
Febru.ary, 1882, Mr. Sellers organized the Iowa 
Life and Endowment Association, in company 
with Mr. W. II. Lowe, and of which our subject 
held the Secretaryship until his resignation, Jan. 1, 
188(j. He is still a member of the Board of Di- 
rectors. 

Mr. Sellers was married, Dec. 29, l!S53, at Albia, 
this State, to^Miss Aby A. Read, daughter of Vin- 
cent K. Read. She was born in Putnam Countv. 



I 



m 



El 

an 

El 

:-:i 



- i jjnx nm 



liUiiin ni!Uiiiiirxi|Uinrirr7lurr«xixxiriiitrTTTTIin 



MAHASKA 



j|K hid., and has borne our subject seven cliildren — 
W one son and six daughters — of whom five survive: 
|j Eva is the wife of Dr. L. 11. Dowling, of Albia; 
James C. resides at home; Kannie died at the age 
of twcntj^ months; Alice is in the Ottumwa city 
schools, where she has taught for six years, and is 
at pi'esent Principal in Garfield building; Lela died 
aged eighteen months, and l.)oll and Cnrrio reside 
at home. 

Mr. and Mrs. Sellers and the two eldest daugh- 
ters ai-e members of the Christian Church. Mr. 
Sellers in earl}' life was a Democrat, but has 
changed his political views and at present is a rad- 
ical prohibitionist, voting, nevertheless, with the 
Republican party, as he believes that through it 
prohibition will be more speedily accomplished 
th.iu by the supporting of an independent party. 



OHN MATEER, one of the pioneers of Ad- 
ams Township, Mahaska Co., Iowa, was bom 
in Rockbridge County, \:\.. March 13, 1797, 
where he was reared to manhood by his 
grandparents, receiving such education as the 
common schools of that day afforded. He re- 
moved to Riple}' Couuty, Ind., in the j-ear 1828, 
and in 1835 was married to Miss Susan Roberts, of 
that count}', a daugliter of .Tohn and Xancy Roberts. 
In the fall of 1848 the}- came to Maliaska Couutj', 
locating in Adams Township, of which they were 
among the earliest settlers. He purchased a claim 
on which there was a little breaking done, and upon 
which a small cabin, 15x12 feet, had been erected, 
into which he moved his famil}-; until he could 
build a more substantial and suitable home. 
The country was at that time wild and very 
sparsel}' settled, and their nearest neighbors were 
miles away. Their trailiiig-point was at Oskaloosa, 
which at that time contained but one general store, 
kept by George AY. and John W. Jones. All the 
milling of this section was done at Duncan's Mill on 
South Skunk River. The countr}- at that time was 
full of wild game, and deer could be seen on the 
prairie almost an}' time. Mr. Mateer came to the 
county a very poor man, but by industry and 
5 economy, has accumulated considerable propert}'. 



• 1 mil n I rri niixi3 




■i-^i^,->S»t^ 



«^<<f-*>^*tf-» 



He removed to this city in 1882, and is living a re- 
tired life. 

Politically he is a Uepiiblicaii of the .-talwart or- 
der. Mr. and Mrs. Mateer are the parents of nine 
cliildren, five of whom are living: Elizabeth, born PJ 
Mav 20. 183(;, died in November, 1858; William, i 
born Xov. 2, 1838, is a resident of Mahaska i 

lb 

County: Christopher C., born May 23, 1840, lives 
ill .Mahaska County; James, Oct. 10, 1841, is a resi- 
dent of this county; Samuel A., liorii July 20. 
1843, died Aug. 4, 1880; George W., l)uru jS'ov. 
Ill, 184.'), lives at Red Oak, IMoutgomery Co., 
Iowa; John H., born Feb. 13, 1848, at Oskaloosa, 
Iowa; Mary A., liorn Oct. 29. 1850, died April 27. 
1S7(;; Nancy J., horn May 27, 1858, died Feb. 13. 
1883. 

Mr. Mateer had two sons in the late Civil War, 
who enlisted in the 40th Iowa Infantry, and served 
until the close of the war, doing every duty im- 
posed upon them in a most creditable manner. Their 
regiment was under the command of (Jen. Steele, 
and participated in many of the prominent battles 
of the A'alley of the Mississippi. Mr. Mateer has 
lived for thirty-eight years consecutively in this 
county, and has observed its growth from a wild 
waste to a densely populated, highly improved and 
wealthy county. He is an honorable, high-minded, 
upright citizen, whom to know is to respect and es- 
teem for his many noble qualities, his kindly dis- 
position and his generous impulses. 



ir: 



E. FLEENER, dental surgeon, at Oska- 
loosa, is a native of Jefferson County, Iowa, 
where he was bom Jan. 5. 18G1. He is a 
son of John and Sarah Downey Fleener, na- 
tives of Indiana, who emigrated to JefTer.son County, 
Iowa, in 1845, while the present State was still a 
Territory. They were among the earliest settlers 
of that county. Dr. Fleener, grandfather of the 
subject of this sketch, was the founder of Abing- 
don, Jefferson Co., Iowa, that town being located 
on the land entered by him. 

J. E. Fleener, the subject of this sketch, was 
raised upon a farm, and received his early educa- 
tion in the common schools. In the spring of 1880 



Ml 

m 




L^e^-^TJ rn imrgnnxiaLxi znxxxix 






I rmxTTu nxnx tixm rjcup C 



J j^^ii j, 



I iii.i Jcij_j tiuuuTzrxxnimTi.iH 



I r Hr i uL rt tix i i rmrTTiTT ii iTri' 



■H;|^P|En 



214 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 






ira' 



^ he entered the office of Dr. T. L. James, of Fair- 
field, Iowa, a graduate of Philadelphia Dental Col- 
J lege, remaining there as a student until the spring 
'■' (if 1S81, when he attended IMcCordsville School, 
at McCordsville, lad., graduating there in the 
3: teachers' preparatory course in 1882. In the win- 
'^' ters of 188.3-84-85-86, he attended the State 
^ University of Iowa, where he graduated in dental 
surgery in March, 1880. Following his graduation 
he came to Oskaloosa, where he formed a partner- 
ship with Dr. G. AV. Miller in the practice of den- 
tistry. 

Dr. Fleener is a young man of good ability in 
his profession, and may Ije st3ded a self-made man. 
_His father died when he was eight j'ears old, leav- 
ing him without anj- means whatever, and his edu- 
cation is the result of his own exertions. John and 
Sarah Fleener were the parents of eight children, 
all of whom are living: Robert W. is a farmer at 
Silverdale, Kan. ; John N. resides in A\'apello 
Country, Iowa ; William J. is engaged in farming 
at Abingdon, Iowa; Ella is the wife of S. J. 
Adams, of Hedrick, Iowa; J. E., our subject; Ells- 
worth M., of Hedrick; Lee E., of Wapello County; 
George N. is at home. John Fleener died in Keo- 
I kuk Count}', Iowa, in 18G9, and was a member of 
the Christian Church. His widow was married to 
R. Gamble, and ' at* present resides in Abingdon. 
With one exception the family are all members of 
the Christian Church. 



1 



^=SS^=^ ' 




!PS 



D. WILLIAMS, who resides on section ;j, 
Des Moines Township, was born in Logan 
County, Ohio, in 1817, and is the son of 
feijll j Jeffrey and Elizabeth (Cooley) Williams, both na- 
tives of Virginia. Mr. Williams came to this 
iconnty in 1852, and located on his present farm, 
which comprises 166 acres of land. He was mar- 
ried in 1840 to Hannah Johnson, daughter of John 
and Sarah Johnson, natives of Maryland, the father 
dying in 1846, aged sixty-three years, and the 
mother some years later. Mr. and Mrs. Williams 
lare the parents of seven children : Alaboisa, born 
April 26, 1841, died June 13, 1845; Francis Mar- 
ion, born Sept. 2, 1842, is a farmer in this town- 




M. 



ship; Lncina, born March 14, 1844, is the wife of 
Dennis White, of Garfield Township; Joseph H., 
born May 8. 1846, is married and resides near New 
Sharon, and is a farmer; he served eighteen months 
in the War of the Rebellion, in the 33d Iowa In- 
fantr}-, and participated in the battles of Saline 
River, Spanish Fort, and numerous other engage- 
ments in the Southwest. Nancy M., born Aug. 28, 
1848, is the wife of Jacob Smith of Garfield Town- 
ship; Ellis, born M.ay 31, 1850, and Henry, Ma}- 1, 
1852, are at home; James AVesley, born Jan. 21, 
1855, resides in Garfield Township. 

Prior to coming to this State from Ohio, Mr. 
Williams followed the occupation of milling for 
about twenty years. He began life as a poor man, 
and has accumlated his present blessings by hard 
work, good management and strict economy. He 
and his wife are sincere, earnest Christian people, 
and members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
Their home is one of comfort and good cheer, and 
in it the social qualities largely predominate. 
There has ever been concert of action, and a most 
delightful harmony has ever existed between par- 
ents and children, and there are no citizens of Des 
Moines Township who occupy a higher position in 
the esteem of their fellow-citizens, neighbors and 
friends, than Mr. and Mrs. Williams. 



IjpiA L. POMEROY lives upon a farm about 
^^^ four miles northwest of Oskaloosa, known 
l|j\/_jj) as the Highland Farm. He is a native of 
Erie County, Pa., born Feb. 8, 1834, and 
is a son of James and Mar}' (Brown) Pomeroy, the 
father a native of Massachusetts and the mother of 
Pennsylvania. His grandfather, Medad Pomeroy, 
was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, while his 
father was a soldier in the AVar of 1812. The fam- 
ily moved to Indiana in 1843, and in 1847 came to 
Mahaska County and settled upon section 4, Gar- 
field Township, where the father of S. L. purchased 
a claim and improved the same. On this farm his 
father died in 1859, owning at the time of his death 
160 acres of land. His father was a carpenter by 
trade, and built one of the first residences in Gar- 
field Township. There were four sons and one 



.^SSSSS 



iiijwimjiii- samBmiFi ^ 



IjJ J^rTgJ 



:^EJ^^S-dx 



L^xdc^j^JJ 



1 irruxxxxu'I 

TT«XITTji'lTrf I 




m 






ll 



if 



III 
lit 

tit 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



215 



.4» 



^ 



daughter who caine to this count}-, one son and one 
daughter renmiufd in Indiana, and one son in reiin- 
sylvania. Ilany died April 30, 1885, aged sixtj'- 
seveii j'cars ; Harriet is the ^Yife of Jeremiah Pat- 
rie, of Jasper Count}-, Iowa; George died Aug. 30, 
1855; Edwin now resides in Jasper Count}- and is 
engaged in stock business; Stephen L. is tiie sub- 
ject of this sketch ; W . K. resides in Jasper County ; 
James L., Jr., died Oct. 12, 18G1 ; Eunice, wife of 
C. R. Troy of this township, died Feb. 3, 1851. 

Jlr. Pomero}- was married, Aug. 18, 1857, to Miss 
Eliza Coffin, a daughter of %muel Coffin, who was 
a native of North Carolina. Thc}^ were the parents 
of six children, five living: Zeilide, born Aug. 13, 
1858, died April 3, 18G1 ; Lorie, born Sept. 8, 1860, 
married O. H. Avey, Jul}- 15, 1886, Assistant Post- 
master in Oskaloosa; Elmer W.. born .Jan. 8, 1863; 
Gu}' Stephen, Sept. 29, 1870; Eunice, Jan. 26, 1876; 
William F., May 20. 1881 ; all at home. :Mr. and 
Mrs. Ponieroy are members of the Christian Church. 
In the year 187 1 .Mr. Pomeroy commenced the 
breeding of Short-h<:irn cattle, and began his herd 
with a purchase of four animals, two from the lierd of 
Milton Brlggs, of Jasper County, and two from the 
herd of L. 'SI. <^uart<ni, of this county. Since 1879 
he has sold ?6,()()0 worth of cattle from Highland 
Farm, and has now on hand twenty-nine head of all 
ages, and is prepared to ship fine cattle at any time. 
His farm is a grandly beautiful place, and is almost 
surrounded by a solid wall of well-set hedge. Its 
pastures are covered with blue grass and clover, 
while here and there over the entire farm burst 
forth refreshing springs of pure cold water, and 
these combine to furnish a desirable home for im- 
proved stock of any description. Mr. Pomeroy's 
favorites are the deep-fleshed, broad-backed Short- 
horn. His motto is, "No pedigree is a good one 
unless the animal is individually good." Iris Favor- 
ite 23,503 and Sharon Bates 40,916 were lords of 
the harem at Highland Park for many years. They 
have been the heroes of many a well fought contest 
in the show-ring, and the red ribbon, the signal of 
victory, was almost universally awarded them. 

Mr. Pomeroy has aided materially in adding to 
the fame of this county for the quality of fine stock 
produced by it, and has spared neither time, pains 
nor expense to perfect his own herd, the reputation 



of which is co-extensive with the State, indeed, it 
could hardly be otherwise, its proprietor being of 
that class of nnii who know no such word as fail 
in their undertakings, and to bring about so desir- 
able a result he has spared neither time, care nor 
expense. 



■vf^ H. CRANDALL, of Garfield Township. 
'^ was born in Chautauqua County, N. Y., 



E 



June 10. 1839, .and is a son of C. E. and 
Lucy (Brown) Crandall, natives of New York. In 
1854 they removed to Warren County, 111., resid- 
ing there for five years, and thence to Henderson 
County. The former is still living at Gladstone, 
111., and the latter died in November, 1877, at the 
age of sixty-two years. The subject of this sketcii 
remained at home until the beginning of the war 
of the Rebellion, and \\\ April, 1861, enlisted in 
the 10th Illinois Infantry, a regiment of three 
months' men, and re-enlisted in the 16th Illinois 
Infantry, serving altogether four }ears and tliree 
months. He was taken prisoner at Hornsboro while 
on a foraging expedition, .and confined in Libby 
prison for two months. Ho was with his regiment in 
the following engagements : Corinth, Island No. lU, 
Lookout Mountain, Kennesaw Mountain, the siege of 
Atlanta, and Bentonville, N. C. He w.as wounded at 
Buzzard's Roost in the knee, has received §1,100 
back pension, and now has an allowance of $8 per 
month. After the war he went back to Hendei-son 
County, 111., remaining there until January, 1866, 
when he came to this county, where he has re- 
mained since with the exception of one year. He 
was continuously engaged in the coal business un- 
til April, 1885, when he bought a piece of land 
and engaged in farming. 

:Mr. Crandall was m.arried, June 7, 1866, to Min- 
erva Kirkpatrick, a native of Indiana. They were 
the parents of seven children: Laura, born June 
23, 1867, is a gr.aduate of Beacon High School, 
and follows the profession of teaching; Benjamin, 
born Dec. 2, 1869, is engaged in the mill at Beacon; 
Edw.ard, born March 8, 1872; Alonzo, Oct. 18, 
1874; Nellie, Feb. 3, 1879; and Claude and Maud, 
•Ian. 9, 1883, are at home. 

Mr. Crandall is a member of the I. O. O. F. and 



m 









'J-i*JtiJii 



^E 



ciixnxirrrji 



i(ITTx^T^TTI3l 

la. 21 




IlTILClIXmHTtlXIIIXXtlllTT 



tirrra nxxgiuxjaj in u x: 



i:xj ti-tx» » xmjm.i j. ijuxa: nnxi:' 



Ran 



jtrxtrirxxrirxTm'^ ^ bJ:^ ''■ra 



Bl 



1:4 



fi 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



G. A. R. Foliticallj' he is a Democrat, anrl has 
served that party one year as Chairman of the 
Count}' Central Committee, and has been a member 
of the committee for several j'ears. In 188.^ he 
was app<;iinted Postmaster at Beacon liy President 
Cleveland, but declined the position. lie has been 
Constable in (iartield Townshi}) for five years. Mr. 
Crandall is a gentleman who enjo3^s the full confi- 
dence and highest regard <if a host of friends and 
acquaintances. 



€-^^- 





IjjENJAMlN R. PERDUE. Prominent among 
^^< the old settlers of Jlahaska County, and a 
■!)))ll) gentleman who, for upward of thirty-seven 
■^ years, has resided within its boundaries and 
witnessed its development and growth, and who 
has done his share toward its advancement, is he 
of whom we write. He is a retired lilaeksmith, 
and ex-Mayor of Oskaloosa, and at present resid- 
ing in that city, where he is passing the sunset of 
life in peace and (puet retirement. Mi'. Perdue 
has been a resident of this count}", with the ex- 
ception of a verj' short time, since 1840. He was 
born in Columbiana County, Ohio, Jul}' 15, 1820, 
and is a son of Bennett and Hannah (Hale) Per- 
due. His father was born in Loudoun County, Va., 
and the family were among the early colonists of 
that iState. Our subject's paternal grandfather was 
a surgeon in AVashington'.s army, and the Perdue 
family comes of genuine old colonial stock. 

Benjamin R. Perdue was brought up in his na- 
tive State, and early in life learned the blacksmith's 
trade, at which he has worked for upward of forty 
years. He was married in Stark County, Ohio, 
April 7, 1844, to Miss Catharine, daughter of 
David and Mary Shriver. She was born in Colum- 
biana County, Ohio, in October, 1822, and has 
borne our subject eight children — five sons and 
three daughters — six of whom are living at this 
writing. The children were all born in Ohio: 
Dallas M. is married, and lives in Rose Hill, Iowa; 
David is married, and resides in Beloit, Kan.; 
Mary E. is the widow of Henry Leighton. and is 
living in Oskaloosa; John T. is married, and is 




. — f^ti 

Clerk of the Court of "Wapello County; Pierce |;i 
married Emma Davis, is a printer by vocation, ^\\ 
and resides in Des Moines; Catharine died at the 
age of twenty-five years ; Clementine is the wife of 
W. C. Carter, of Orange City, this State, and Em- 
erson died when five years old. 

In 1849 Mr. Perdue, accompanied by his family, 
came to this county and located at Oskaloosa, the aiSK 
date of their settlement lieing in October of that Si i 
year. They continued to reside in this city until : 
the spring of 1850, when he returned to Ohio, and S J 
in May, 1S62, cam* b.ack to Oskaloosa, and has 5 hi 
made this his home ever since. He carried on g rJ 
blacksmithing, together with wagon and plow man- fr 
ufacture, in this city for upward of twenty years, 
meeting with signal success. He was Mayor of 
Oskaloosa during 1883-84, and was a member of 
the City Council three or four times. In politics 
he is a Democrat. His religious views coincide 
with the tenets of the Unitarian Church. Socially 
he is a member of the Masonic fraternity, having 
attained the 32d degree. He was a charter mem- 
ber of the Commantlery of Oskaloosa. He is also 
a member of the I. O. O. F. and of the Knights of 
the Golden Eagle, of which latter order he is High 
Chief, and Deputy Grand Chief of the State of 
Iowa. 



WSAIAH MYER, Cashier of the Freight Depart- 
I ment of the Central Iowa Railway at Oska- 
|Iji loosa, was born in Barton, Alleghany Co., Md., 
July 9, 1848, and is a son of John and Ruth (Daw- 
son) IMyer. The father was a blacksmith, and died 
when tiie subject of this sketch \^'ris in his .eighth 
year. The mother still lives, and resides near 
Taintor, in this county. They were the parents of 
three children, all living: Isaiah is the eldest; 
Mason P. is a barber in Grinnell, Iowa; Jennie is 
the wife of W. AV". Totteu, of Oskaloosa. 

Isaiah Myer removed in 1861 to Petersburg, 
Somerset Co., Pa., and in 1869, to Barton, Md. He 
first engaged in a tannery, and afterward in farm- 
ing, painting, etc., until the spring of 1872, when 
he came to this county, locating near Granville, ^ 
rented a farm, and followed that occupation two g|j 
years and a half, and then engaged in buying 



_2sBSI 




■imr 1 Lb VTyT?V»-TfLjjTXIIXtT 




li: 

I : 

-li: 

I : 
i;: 

l.;£ 
I :iC 

I -H 
I 
I 
I 



liC 
l:lS 

li-;: 
ti;: 




< ,,,,,,: U,..,.,rT! M 



3« 



gi-aiii, etc., for several j'ears. In 1878 he came to 
Oskaloosa, and iu February, 1881, obtained a po- 
sition in the ottice of the Central Iowa Railway as 
Freight Clerk and Baggageman, and officiated as 
Assistant Ticket Agent for nearly two years. In 
June, 188G, he was appointed Ciieck Clerk, and 
held tliat pusition until the month of July, when 
he was appointed Cashier of the Freight Depart- 
ment. 

Mr. Mj'er was married in Petersburg, Somerset 
Co., Pa., March 25. 1869, to Miss Helen Wirsing, a 
native of that countj', born Jan. 1, 1847. By this 
marriage there have been eight children : Mary E. ; 
Mason M. is Check Clerk in the Central Iowa liail- 
way otiice at Oskaloosa; John j\l., Isaiali, Ilarr}', 
Roy, Helen R. and Rose. 

^Ir. Myer has attained his present position solelj' 
on ,his own merits. It is a characteristic of the 
man to do wliatever may be assigned him in a care- 
ful, painstaking manner, and however aimoying 
the surroundings maj- at times have been, the pat- 
rons of that road have ever found iiini courteous 
and .accommodating. His integrity is unquestioned, 
hence liis promotion to his present position, which 
is a very responsible one, involving the transaction 
of a large amount of l)usiness and the handling of 
large sums of money. The promotion was a de- 
served one, and is fully as gratifying to tiie friends 
of J\lr. Myer as it is to himself. 

-^ #>#. V^ 

ylLLIAM K. SOPHER, of Spring Creek 
Township, and one of the best-known men 
in the county, was born in Washington 
County, Pa., April 8, 1817, and is a son of Joseph 
and Phebe (Kenworthey) Sopher. Joseph Sopher 
was born in Londouii Count}', Va., and his wife in 
Bedford Count}', Pa. He was a miller by profes- 
sion, and followed that occupation the greater por- 
tion of his life. He also owned an extensive farm, 
managing and operating it in connection with his 
other business. He died in Poweshiek County, 
Iowa, Jan. 14, 1869, his wife having previouslj' 
died iu Pennsylvania, June 3, 1828. The grand- 
father of our subject, Joseph Sopher, was a soldier 
in the Revolutionary War, and our subject has a 



pocket glass which he carried all through that war. 
His wife, grandmother of our subject, was Cath- 
arine Cox. 

William K. Sopher emigi-ated from Pennsjdvania 
to Oiiio in 1833, and in tlie fall of 1834 removed 
to Tippecanoe County, Ind., where he remained 
and followed the occupation of farming until the 
fall of 1843, at whicii date lie moved to Jefferson 
County, Iowa, with his family — a wife and three 
children — and there resided until the fall of 1847, 
when he came to Spring Creek Township, this 
county, purchasing 140 acres of land .and improved 
the same; he afterward bought 160 more. Tlic 
first land was mostly timber and coal land, and was 
sold by him as such at a good advance on the 
original cost and improvements in 1882, and gave 
the last 160 to his two sons, William P. and Jo- 
seph. He then entered eighty acres of prairie 
land. In 1853 he entered eighty acres in Adam> 
Township, now the property of Richard Nash. He 
bought the southeast quarter of section 34, Spring 
Creek Township, luiiit upon it a good house .and 
barns, and otherwise improved it, and afterward 
disposed of it to Josiah Emmons. He pui'chased 
1 60 acres of land in .Jasper County, Iowa, which 
he gave to Abijah T. and jMoses II. Sopher. He 
has reserved to himself twenty acres of land in 
Spring Creek Township, upon which he resides, 
and h.as built a fine frame dwelling, a good barn 
and other out-buildings, all neat and in good repair. 

Mr. Sopher has been one of the foremost men of 
his township in making the class of improvements 
that would best develop the general interests of his 
people and bring about the greatest good to the 
greatest number, and in all these enterprises has 
conformed strictlj' to the C! olden Rule, doing unto 
others as he would they should do unto him. His 
son Moses served three 3'ears in the late war for 
the preservation of the Union, doing his every 
duty in a most creditabli> manner. Ilisson Abijah 
enlisted, but was obliged to return home on ac- 
count of disability', and, not being able to return 
to his command, received an honorable discharge 
by order of the War Department. 

The subject of this sketch, William K. Sopher, 
was married, March 29, 1837, to Agnes Hockett, 
who was born Julj' 17, 1816, in the State of Ohio, 




U rU 



1 
Ij 



im 



Shxxxc 



Joannjuj.u 



rrrr-r : . ■ . - . . r .: rf. n rrr. . t . tt: . t ! rrftTrrr 



] ;j td^ti^ ■ ^ 



irirrTttiiiia 



•222 




acLE^xxr 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



I I 

II I 



i^ 




= si;! 



a daughter of Moses and Olive (Cook) Ilockett. 
By this union there were five children — Abijah T., 
Phoebe, Moses H., William P. and Joseph. Phoebe 
and Moses H. are deceased. 

Mr. Sopher has held the offices of Road Super- 
visor and of School Director a number of times, 
and has been Township Ti'ivstee for three terms. 
He and his wife are prominent members of the 
Society of Friends, in which Mrs. Sopher has la- 
liored as a minister of Christ since 1852. Mr. 
Sopher has ever taken an active part in matters re- 
lating to Church and State, and the weight of his 
influence has ever been in the direction looking to 
the upbuilding of the interests of his fellow-men, 
spiritually as well as temporally. He is a man 
widely known and universally respected, and it is 
with pleasure that the publishers present his por- 
trait in connection with this sketch. As a fitting 
companion picture a portrait of his esteemed wife 
is also given. 



-E>- 



^^"f^ 



-H> 



I SHAM ARNOLD, farmer and stock-raiser, of 
"White Oak Township, resides on section 1. 
He was born in Harrison Countj', Ky., Oct. 
11, 1828, and is the son of Archibald and Jemima 
(Scott) Arnold, both of whom were natives' of 
Virginia. Thej' removed to the State of Iowa in 
1871, locating in this county, where the former 
died in 1875, his wife having departed this life in 
Kentucky about the year 1848. 

The subject of this sketch, Isham Arnold, re- 
moved from the old home in Kentucky in 1852, 
coming directly to this county, and was married in 
1853 to Miss Drucilla Simpkins, a daughter of 
Milton and Sally Simpkins, and to them ten chil- 
dren have been born : Elizabeth is the wife of 
Morris Lister, residing in this township; Nancy E. 
is deceased ; Sarah J. is the wife of Sanford Ewing, 
and resides in Rose Hill, Iowa; Joseph is married 
to Louie Rose, and lives in this township; Emma 
M. is deceased ; Alberta, William, and three chil- 
dren died in infancy. 

Politically Mr. Arnold is a Greenbacker, and 
has held several local ofliees in his township. He 



'^7 W. DOAK is nicely located in one of the fin- 
est farm-houses in the countj^ with all im- 
provements in the way of barns for all 
kinds of stock, and other buildings needed 
on a well regulated farm, and is situated on the 
northeast quarter of section 10, White Oak Town- 
ship. His parents were born and raised in Wash- 
ington County, Pa., and moved West (as it was 
then termed) to Ohio, in 1834, settling in Cham- 
paign County, a heavil}' timbered country, where 
thej- experienced all the hardships and privations 
of frontier life in clearing up a f.arm in the woods. 
But they succeeded reasonably well, and secured a 
farm of about 100 acres. 

The subject of this sketch, J. W. Doak, was born 
Sept. 23, 1845, and was the j'oungest of a family of 
eight children, five boys and three girls, one boy 
dying in infancy. His father, John Doak, died Oct. 
G, 1845, thereb}- depriving the subject of this sketch 
of a father's care and training. His mother, Rachel 
Doak, fought the battle of life as best she could, 
and raised her family of seven children, and is still 
living in Mechauiesburg, Ohio, at the ripe age of 
seventy-eight years, and is yet a remarkably active 
lady, physically and mentally. J. W. had verj' 
little chance of getting even a common-school ed- 
ucation, having been taken out of school at the age 
of fifteen years, in 1860. When those Southern 



pursues the occupation of general farming and ail' 
stock-raising, and owns 235 acres of excellent land, ^ 
in fine cultivation and well improved. He has an ||} 
eleg.ant home, commodious, comfortable and well pS} 
arranged, two good barns, and all necessary sheds, 
cribs and other appurtenances for his well regu- 
lated farm. It is, in fact, one of the neatest and 
best cultivated farms in this section of the county. 
In his business ]Mr. Arnold has been more than or- 
dinarily successful. He is careful, painstaking, 
energetic and industrious, w ithal prudent and eco- 
nomical, but not sparing his means where the in- 
vestment of them would indicate a fair return of 
profit, and is very deserving the esteem in which 
he is held bj' his friends and acquaintances. 



I 



i 



^^S^^..,. 



sflHBI 



W^ ' 










LizxrxxznxnuiAT^ 




MAHASKA COUNTY. 



223 



I -: gentlemen of Democratic proclivities insulted the 
I i: American flaji-, and the immortal Lincoln said he 
" : needed the boys to protect the Stars and Stripes, 
- his two elder brothers, then living at home, enlisted 
Ijl^ in 1801, and left him to look after the farm and 
^'''. care for his widowcil mother, and the remainder of 
; the family. In the winter of 1865 he attended 
ri school two and a half months, walkina- two miles 
'5 night and morning, and this was practically- the last 
; schooling received by him, and ended all his chances 
iL 5 for such an education as he desired and intended to 
■ " have secured. In tlie spring of that year he began 
I farming for himself, on a small scale, on his moth- 
fjjller's farm and in iiartnership with an elder brother, 
"'-S which continued until the fall of 18G7, when the 
: partnership was dissolved, J. W. taking full charge 
; of the old home farm. 
L- » Oct. 20, 1867, Mr. Do.ak was married tu Miss 
i:|011ie C. Chidester, a native of North Lewisburg, 
'^i Ohio, born Feb. 8, 1848. Her parents were natives 
} sS of West A'irginia. She was a young lady of sterl- 
} S ing worth, acting well her part in the struggle of 
J-'Slife, bv caring carefully for the household affairs, 
^■;and at times lending a helping hand to lighten her 
: husband's Labors in the field. In the fall of 1869, 
: being seized with an uncontrollable desire to owii 
: a home of their own, he came with his estimable 
■young wife to Iowa, making the long trip in the 
fe: farm wagon of Ohio dimensions, drawn bj"^ a span 
:of heavy French draft mares. Thej' arrived in 
: this county in December of that j'ear, and in March, 
: 1870, purchased a farm of 100 acres near the cen- 
jitcr of Monroe Township, on to which he moved, 
J^Sand where he lived until the spring of 1875, striv- 
[ H ing earlj' aud late to pay for his land, but by rea- 
^ :son of an injury received by him from a wild 
: horse, in his earlier da3's, he was not physically able 
; to follow the plow, and the failure of his wife's 
: hrnlth also compelled him to engage in some oc- 
;<iipalion other than farming, so he sold his little 
; farm, his cattle, horses and hogs, and set out in 
^rarch of something else. He had alwaj-s been a 
; L;icat admirer of line draft horses, and he soon de- 
ii : cided in his mind to introduce the Clydesdale stock 
in this count}', and in the summer of 1.S75 made a 
■lip to the Eastern States and purchased, for a be- 
ginning, a very fine specimen of that family of 



horses. In the fall of the same year he bought a 
small farm, one-half mile east of Rose Ilill, near 
the C. R. I. & P. R. R., moved (m to it and com- 
menced the erection of the buildings for the estab- 
lishment of a fine stock breeding and sale farm. 
In the spring of 1876, having his new barn com- 
pleted, he established the Rose Hill Breeding Farm 
.and Sale Barn, which business he still continues, 
making draft horses and fine hogs a specialtj'. 

Mr. Doak has perhaps done more to improve the 
di'aft horse stock of this county than anj' other one 
man, because the offspring of his horses were in 
nearly every school district in the county long be- 
fore the establishment of any other breeding farms 
or importing companies in the county. Among the 
fine draft horses brought to his establishment at 
Rose Hill, and that are worth}' of special mention, 
are : Young Topsmau, Kep-dowrie, Prince Alford, 
Kino, Black Lofty, Clio, Marcus Claudius, Prince 
Royal, Donnald Diunie, .Jr., Norman Frank, Ohio 
Lad and Zulu. Among this collection are some of 
the finest draft horses ever owned in the West. 
Zulu, the fine colt that J. W. brought home from 
his last purchase, is a dapple bay Clydesdale, weigh- 
1700 pounds at thirty months old, and his general 
make-up is nearly perfection. In connection with 
the breeding of fine horses, Mr. Doak has for sev- 
eral years past kept a fine herd of thoroughbred 
hogs of different breeds, but of late years has 
made the Jersey Red swine a specialty, and having 
such noted hogs as Climax, Billie Waddell, Pride 
of Rose Hill, Rose Bush, and twenty other re- 
corded anim.als, with 100 head of young stock to 
select from, he is prepared to suit purchasers at all 
times, in price and quality. Being a member of 
both the Clydesdale horse societies and the Jersey 
Red Swine Association, he keeps himself thoroughly 
posted in all matters relating to his business. 

Mr. Doak is a man of fine social qualities, jovial 
and full of life, and can tell or listen to a good 
story and enjoy a hearty laugh as well as any man 
in the State. Politically he is and always has been 
a Republican. He is .an earnest, active worker in 
the field of politics, a leader of the party in his 
town.ship, aud has filled all the offices of trust and 
importance in the township. His family consists 
of himself and wife, and Nellie Floy, a bright lit- 




i. --^ 



:iiiiLTnir¥nrgixtiraxirTTi 



X ITTITt TTTXIJJ l UXXXZn 1 



^^^^ "■" ' ■ ■TT^yi»l»lllirTT 




^1 








tie four-year-old daughter of rare promise intellect- 
ually, but delicate physicallj'. Mr. Doak has suf- 
fered severely from physical injuries, at one time 
having both legs fractured, and the bones in both 
hands badl3^ broken, yet has the full use of his 
limbs and is a very active man for one who has 
been so unfortunate. He is not grasping after 
riches, but is simply desirous of enjoying life while 
he may, and is willing to take the chances as to the 
future. Having tried to do as much good as pos- 
sible, to make friends and keep them, and to have 
few, if an}-, enemies, he is willing to continue the 
battle of life with wife, Nellie Floy, and Jumbo, 
his dog, and after that enjoy the Poor Man's rest 
and be contented. 



■•-^t^w-jK^. 



?>^5^^«^«tf-» 



/^ ORNELIUS Mccarty, of Oskaloosa, was 
[I born in Loudoun County. Va., July '26, 1814, 

^^^' and is the son of Cornelius and Nancy 
(Hunt) McCarty, natives of Virginia. He removed 
with his parents to Belmont Count}', Ohio, in the 
year 1828, and subsequently to Moi'gan County, 
where the parents both died. They were farmers 
by occupation, and had a famil}' of five children, 
four of whom are j'et living, viz. : Charles R., of 
Jackson County, Ohio; Daniel, living in Zanes- 
ville, Ohio; Cornelius, our subject, and William 
VV., of Columbus, Ohio. Mrs. McCarty was pre- 
viously married to Peter Hoffman, b}' whom there 
were four children, all now deceased. 

When nineteen years old our subject went to 
Zanesville, Ohio, where he was apprenticed to the 
trade of painter for two years, when he went to 
Cincinnati, and finished his trade with a man named 
Oliver Lovell, and soon after was given the super- 
vision of his shops, holding that position for two 
j'ears, and was then sent to St. Louis, Mo., as man- 
ager of a branch shop for the same man. He was 
married in Zanesville, Ohio, in 1839, to Miss Nancy 
Hukill, by whom he had two sons, Joseph, who 
when last heard of was in Texas in the cattle busi- 
ness, and Charles, deceased. Mrs. McCarty died 
in Zanesville in 1844. She was a consistent mem- 
ber of the Presbyterian Church, and greatly be- 
loved bj' all who knew her. Cornelius was again 



married at Zanesville, in 184.5, to Mrs. Mar}- H. '. } 
Berkey, a daughter of William Perry. By this 'i i" 
union there were four children, two now living: :v'' 
Alfred L., a dentist at Des Moines, and Katie, liv- i;- 
ing at home. ; A 

In 1854 Mr. McCarty left Ohio and came to Iowa, 5 2; 
locating in Oskaloosa, where he worked at his trade ; 
for a number of years, then engaged in a meat- -_ 
market for a few years, and in other occupations. : -^ 
He was in early life a strong Abolitionist, remain- : h 
ing so until the close of the war, since which time ; nj 
he has attilialed with the Republican party: he has : nj 
held the office of City Marshal for one year. Mr. ; ffi 
and Mrs. JMcCarty are members of the ^Methodist jrj 
Episcopal Church. Sf | 

Mr. McCarty had two sons in the late Rebellion, -n 
Joseph H. enlisted in the 5th Kansas Cavalry, was - 
soon after promoted Captain, and was stationed in _ 
Arkansas. His principal Imsiness was that of scout- ;;til 
ing and taking care of the bushwhackers of that ': 
section, and in the performance of his perilous 
duties was three times captured by the enemy, 
each time narrowly escaping with his life. Charles 
B. enlisted in the 4th Iowa Cavalry, and by reason Sli 
of jioor health was engaged on detatched duties t' 
during his term of service. Mr. McCarty also had : 
two brothers, Charles R. and William W., who E 
served in the late war, the latter of whom raised a S 
company of which he was elected Captain, and his : 
two sons were elected First and Second Lieuten- £;; 
ants, respectively. 



^ %ir^^-- 



3 

1 

I 
I 
I 
I 

I 

1 
I 
1 
I 
I 
I 

I 
I 
I 

.:l 

:ti 
I 
1 



JOHN THRASH, of Garfield Township, was S-; 

born in Dearborn County, Ind., March 12, gjj 

1818, and is a son of William and Catherine | 

(Lester) Thrash, who were natives of Vir- J 

ginia. The subject of this sketch left his native place J 

in 1836, locating first in Knox County, 111., where he p[ 

resided for two years, and then emigrated to Henry ^^ [ 
County, Iowa, remaining there until 1843, when he 
came to this county and settled on section 21 of 
Garfield Township, where he still resides, and which 

he has improved, aud brought to the highest pos- ; }i 

sible state of cultivation. ; |^ 
Mr. Thrash was married, Jan. 25, 1849. to Miss 



^SESl^ 




-SSI 



^"L 



nrtiiifrSilTfriifxxifffr 









ft = 
P 

ij.-: 



1 
1 
1 

I 

i3i 

l: 

l^i 

I 

I 

1?; 
i; 

1 
11 

IBS 

r; 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 




Mary T. De Long, a native of Ohio, and a (laughter 
of Edward Dc Long. They are the jiarcnts of ten 
children: William, residing in this township; Elva 
and Lawrence A., at home; Rachel, wife of David 
Faulkner, of Poweshiek County; Mclilus L., War- 
ren, Stephen A. D., John C, Hilliard and Richard, 
all at home. Mrs. Thrash is a member of the Cath- 
olic Church. 

Mr. Thrash came to this county to take ad\ant- 
age of the cheap lands, and really came on to the 
New Purchase before the Lidians had loft it. 
Within twenty-four hours after the lands were open 
for settlement the whole neighborhood round about 
him was populated with settlers who, like himself, 
had been anxiously awaiting that time. Where 
Oskaloosa now stands was then called The Narrows, 
because it was the narrowest strip of laud on the 
divide between the Skunk and Des Moines Hi\ers. 
At that time there was only one cabin on the pres- 
ent town site, which was located near the center 
(if the present city, and owned by a man named 
Canfield, and was the first hotel in Oskaloosa. 

Mr. Thrash's highly cultivated (piarter-section 
3ields him a handsome return as the years go by, 
and entirely relieves his mind as to future wants. 
It is, as we have said, in a high state of cultivation, 
and one of the best farms of that section of the 
count}-. Mr. Thrash possesses all those (jualities 
that enter into good citizenship, and enjoys the 
confidence and esteem of a large circle of friends 
and acquaintances. 



1 



I S. McCLAIN, of Fremont, was born in Ma- 
haska Count}-, March 11,18.59. and is the 
son of Samuel and Jane (English) McClain, 
whose biography appears elsewhere. The 
subject of this sketch was united in marriage to 
Miss Lillie Dinsmore, a native of Ohio, born May 
30, 18;j(), and a daughter of WilliMm and .Mary 
(Ilanipson) Dinsmore, both of whom are living in 
Cedar Township, one-half mile west of the village 
(if Fremont. By this union there have been two 
children — Fred and Anna M3ril. Mr. and Mrs. 
McClain are members of the Baptist Church. In 
his political affiliations he is a Republican. 




Mr. McClain is engaged in the business of gen- 
eral hardware, pumps and farm implements, and ji. »i!iX 
carries a stock of about §2,000. He is receiving ifSgj'lt 
an excellent patronage from the people in and 
about the little citj-, and has been reasonablj^ pros- pj 
perous, and owns his store building and lot, and a i 
good, comfortable home and other property in the i 
city. He is a genial, pleasant man in his business 
and social relations, and very deserving of the suc- 
cess he is achieving in his business. He is deserv- 
edly i)opular, and enjoys the esteem of his patrons 
and acquaintances generally. 



^- 



-^*-B- 



M^l 



■^ (i. WHITE, a farmer and stock-raiser living 
on section l."3. Cedar Township, was born in 
Dearborn County, Ind., July 2-t, 1824, and 
is a son of James and iSIary (Grubbs) White. 
The father was a native of Pennsylvania and a sol- 
dier in the War of 1812, and his wife was born in 
Indiana. He died in 1858, and she in 1855, in In- 
diana. 

The subject of this sketch was married, in 1844, 
to Alvira E. Hough. She was born in Shelby 
County, Ind., July 15, 1828, and was a daughter of 
Joseph and Hannah (Finley) Hough, the latter a 
sister of the Rev. John B. Finley, of Ohio, who in !|i|j| 
an early day in that State was a missionary among p 
the Indians, but is now Chaplain of the Ohio Peui- 
tentiarj- at Columbus. Jlr. and Mrs. White are 
the parents of twelve children : Frances A. is the 
wife of James T. Brownfield, and lives in Jasper 
Count}', Iowa; Mary Jane is the wife of G. L. Phil- 
lips, and lives in Cedar Township; Rachel R. is the ^^i.. 
wife of Frank Rockey ; James A., deceased, was mar- "' ' 
ried to Frank Reynolds; George AV. was the hus- 
band of Belle Ray, and died in Keokuk County, 
Iowa; Florence is the wife of C. A. Eastman, liv- 
ing in this township; John il., Jr., is deceased; Es- 
tella is the wife of George W. Watts, residing in 
Keokuk Count}'; Eva, Harry, Webb and Rhoda 
are at home. 

J. il- White came from Indiana to this county in 
1841), and has resided on a farm during all these 
years, and has made for himself a home where 
there is peace and plenty. He owns 400 acres of 













riiirmiJiii.ifiiijramri ra a 



hcrrr 



1^^ 



t :^ 



i: 



m. 




laud, all ill a High state of cultivation, upon which 
the improvements are not excelled in the countj", 
and has also twenty acres of land in Wapello 
Count}', well improved. Until within the last two 
j'ears Mr. White has been an extensive shipper of 
stock, but has since retired from the business, and 
gives his attention wholly to the management of his 
fine farm and the raising and feeding of stock for the 
market. His wife is a member of the Christian 
Church. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, 
and in his political affiliations a member of the 
National Greenback party. His has been an active 
life since his residence in this county, and his pres- 
ent easy financial condition is wholly the result of 
untiring energy and zeal, and careful management 
of his business. He enjoj^s very deservedly the 
confidence of a host of friends. 

LIVER N. DOWNS. The legal fraternity of 
this county is well represented, as will ap- 
pear in another portion of this work, and 
among the young men of the profession who have 
a bright future before them, is the subject of this 
notice. He was born in Logan County, Ohio, Slaj- 
G, 18G1, and came to Mahaska County in 1S62 with 
his parents, continuing to reside here until 1865; 
thence to Keokuk Count}', remaining until 1878, 
when he went to Marion County till 1881. During 
that year he went to Michigan, where he attended 
the Law School at Ann Arbor, from which he grad- 
uated with honors in 1883. 

Having been admitted to the bar in Michigan, 
and to practice in the United States Courts, he 
hung out his shingle at Indianapolis, Ind., and 
there continued to practice his profession during 
1883 and 1884, and then came to Oskaloosa, where 
he has been in practice until the present time. He 
is a hard student, possessed of an unlimited amount 
of energy and perseverance, and his past is indica- 

3 tive of a bright future. 

Mr. Downs was married in Ann Arbor, JNIich., 
Sept. 17, 1884, to Miss Lucinda Goodrich, daughter 
of Cornelius Goodrich. She was born in Michigan, 
and is a graduate of the Literary Class of the State 

|t!> University^ of 1877, receiving the degree of Ph. 




B. In politics Jlr. Downs is a Republican. So- 
ciall}' he is a member of Oskaloosa Lodge No. 58, 
K. of P. Religiously he and his wife are members 
of the Baptist Church. 

^^ APT. EDWARD GERARD, deceased, was 
ji(^.^ born near Lexington, Ky., Jan. 26, 1817. 
^^^ His father was Benjamin Gerard, a man of 
French descent, and his mother, Margaret (Thomas) 
Gerard, a native of Kentuckj-. Capt. Gerard came 
to Iowa in the year 1842, while j'et a young man. 
and took up a claim in Lee County. In the month 
of April of that year he was married to Miss Mary 
A. Martin, who died in November, 1853. By this 
marriage there were six children, three sous and 
three daughters, all deceased. Capt. Gerard came 
to this county in the year 1843. Sept. 22, 1858, he 
was again married, to Margaret L. Pugh, a native 
of Greene Count}', Ohio, and a daughter of Will- 
iam and Elizabeth (Shoemaker) Piigh, the former 
a native of Frederick County, and the latter of 
Shenandoah County, Xa. By this marriage there 
are three children, one .son and two daughters, all 
living: Elrner, born Aug. 25, 1859, is now living on 
the home farm, of which he has charge, and com- 
bining the teaching of school during the winter 
months with his farming; Alcyone, born Jan. '26, 
1861, and Edna, born July 19, 1866, a school 
teacher by profession, ^vho lias taught several 
terms. 

In 1854 Mr. Gerard, with an emigrant train of 
twelve wagons, drawn by oxen, started from Cen- 
tral Iowa across the western plains to Oregon. 
After traveling for ten weeks with this train, on ac- 
count of its slow progress, he with one other man 
set out to complete the journey. A few days after 
taking his leave, this train, with the exception of 
two boys, were all massacred by the Indians on 
Boise River. After many hazardous adventures 
and narrow escapes they reached Oregon City, 
ninety days after ci'ossing the Missouri River, the 
best time on record for an ox-team. After spend- 
ing four years i)n the Pacific Coast, the gi-eater part 
I of the time as a clerk in a dry -goods store in Port- 
land, he concluded to return by water, left San 



= --& 

It 







^m 



J-Jr'r'r-r'A 



'i^j^^^SSei' 



1^^^^ 




MAHASKA COUNTY. 



227' 



Francisco April 5, and landed in New York April 
27, 1858, and came back to Iowa May 10, 18.")8. 

Capt. Gerard served three years in the regular 
army of the United States, and was under the cotn- 
mand of (ien. John C. Fremont in his wonderful 
exploration of the Great American Desert, and also 
served three years in the late Civil War as First 
Lieutenant of Co. E, 37th Iowa Vol. Inf., and was 
commissioned Post-Quartermaster while stationed 
at Cincinnati, Ohio, and was breveted Captain when 
the regiment w.as mustered out at the ex[)iratiou of 
its service. The Captain was a man of fine literary 
ability, a great reader, student .and thinker, and 
always took an active part in the political cam- 
paigns of this count}'. Politically he was a Re- 
publican, and a leading and influential member in 
the Union League of this countj'. Beyond the 
office of Justice of the Peace, which he held for 
several terms, he had no political ambition, and was 
always happj- in the success of his party, its candi- 
dates and its measures. He died April 4, 1872, re- 
spected b}' all who knew him as an honorable and 
upright citizen. 



u 



W. COLVILLE is a farmer and stock-raiser 
on section 32. Adams Township. He was 
born in the Shenandoah ^'alley in Virginia, 
(^)) Dec. 28, 1819, and is a son of Robert and 
Ilann.ah (Weston) Colville, who were natives of Vir- 
ginia. He was a miller b}' profession, following 
that business in Virginia, and in Ohio, where he re- 
moved in 1825. He died in 1828 or 1829, and his 
wife in 1873. 

The subject of this sketch came to Mahaska 
County in 1853, and remained until the spring of 
1857, when he en)igrate(l to the State of Kansas, re- 
maining there until the year 18C5, engaged most of 
the time in the improvement of a farm. While in 
Kansas, he was in the employ of the (Jovennnent 
in the Quartermaster's Department, under Capt. 
Fnsl}-, Chief (Quartermaster of that Department, 
continuing in that service one year. He then en- 
gaged in the Overland Mail Service, under Ben 
lldlliday, who carried the mails from Atchison, 



Kan., to Salt Lake, Utah, and remained in his .serv- 
ice until after the close of the war, returning 
thence to his old home in the State of Ohio, where 
lie engaged in merchandising until the j'ear 1869, 
when he came back to Iowa, bought a farm, .and has 
remained here ever since. His farm is in a high 
state of cultivation, and its improvements, house, 
barn and other things are of excellent qualitj'. Po- 
litically Mr. Colville is a Greenbacker. 




tr^ 






■xl 









.ufi 




eAPT. CHARLES P. SEARLE, of Oskaloosa, 
is a pioneer of 1854, and located in this cit}' 
in May of that year. He was born in Ches- 
ter, Hampden Co., Mass., April IG, 1831, and is a 
son of Zenas and Julia (Sheldon) Searle, also na- 
tives of Massachusetts. Charles P. was the young- 
est son and the seventh child of a familj' of four 
sons and four daughters, and is the only member of 
the family residing west of Ohio. His earl^' years 
were passed upon the farm, receiving his education 
in the common schools, supplemented by two terms 
at an academj'. He resided at home until he 
reached the age of twenty years. His father then 
gave him §25 in monej', and for the first time in 
his life he left his native State, and also for the first 
time enjoyed the novel experience of a ride on the 
cars and by steamboat. He went direct to Paines- 
ville, Ohio, and entered a machine-shop for the pur- 
pose of learning the trade. He had worked a few 
days onl}', when on the 16th of Maj', 1850, his 
right arm w;is caught between the belt and shaft, 
wiiich was revolving at the rate of sixty revolutions 
per minute, and was broken in four places. He 
went to Kinsman, Ohio, where relatives were living . 
.and remained with them until his recovery. In the 
fall of 1850, he engaged with his brother-in-law at 
that place as clerk in a store, serving him one year 
for a salary- of ¥75 and board, j'ct from this meager 
compensation he saved some money .and remained 
at Kinsman until 1854. During that year the west- 
ern fever seized him, and he turned his face toward 
the setting sun, came to Iowa, and located at Oska- 
loosa. At this time in the history of our .State 
there was not a mile of railroad in operation within 



^^h^^^,ia^ 




11 



m 



Ti^Tr 



i 

- •--i] 




1 n I It iri rxTnxim x 1 1 1 1 1 iii 1 1 



228 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 






^-^ 



m 



Wm 

m 



its borders. His first business experience in this 
city was that of a dry -goods cleric, and in the spring 
of 1855 he became a partner in the business, the 
name of the firm being Hardj', Searle & Young. 
One year later he sold out his interest and retired 
from the firm, but continued to conduct his dry- 
goods business alone until 18G1, when he closed out 
his business and enlisted as a soldier in the Civil 
War. 

He was mustered into service in August, 18G1, as 
a private soldier in Co H, 8th Iowa Vol. Inf. 
i :j 5 1 At the organization of the regiment at Camp Mc- 
miM\ Clellan, Davenport, he was promoted Sergeant 
l}j Major. The regiment removed from its rendez- 
-^ vous to Benton Barracks, St. Louis., Mo., where 
they were placed under command of Gen. McKins- 
try, and taken on a forced march to Springfield, 
Mo., to resist the advance of the rebel General, 
Sterling Price, who was driven back into Arkansas. 
*^ The regiment- then went to Sedalia, Mo., and spent 
the winter of 1861-62. In November, 1861, Sergt. 
Maj. Searle was commissioned F'irst Lieutenant 
of Co I, 8th Iowa Vol. Inf. In March, 1862, 
thoy were ordered to Pittsburg Landing, partici- 
Ijated in the battle of Shiloh, and during the after- 
noon of the first daj^'s fighting nearly the entire 
regiment, with others of Gen. Prentiss' division, 
were taken prisoners by the rebels, and remained in 
prison until November, 1862, when they were ex- 
changed at Libby Prison. After a furlough of 
thirty days the regiment was re-organized, again en- 
tered the service, and was sent down the Mississippi 
River with Mr. Searle as Captain of Company I, to 
assist in the capture of Vicksburg, participated in 

I the various engagements immediatelj' preceding the 
investment of that city, iucluding the charge of 
May 22, and were forty days in the trenches round 
about that beleaguered city. 

Immediately following the surrender of Pember- 
tim to Gen. Grant on the 4th of July, the 8th Iowa 

jjr was of the army that started eastward driving Gen. 
Johnson's army of reinforcement across Black River 
and into the fortifications at Jackson. The enemy 
succeeded in getting out of Jackson, and across 

]\ Pearl River, and being pursued gave battle at Bran- 

^ don, Miss. The 8th fought gallantl3' on this occa- 
sion, won the battle, returned to Vicksburg and 




shortly afterward was sent to Memphis, Tenn., where 
they did provost dut}' for eight months. During 
this time the rebel General, Forest, made his famous 
raid into Memphis. It was a hand-to-hand conflict, 
and Capt. Searle was wounded by a sabre stroke 
across the right ear, received a permanent spinal in- 
jur}^ and was taken prisoner, but succeeded in mak- 
ing his escape a few hours later. His wife was with 
him on a visit at the time, saw him wounded and 
taken prisoner, and that Sabbath day, Aug. 21, 1864, 
was a memorable one for both of them. As his 
wounds were of a character disabling him for 
further active service he resigned his commission 
in Januarj', 1865, and came home. 

After his return from the service in the fall of 
1865, Capt. Searle visited his native State, accom- 
panied by his wife and child, and spent the winter 
among the scenes of his boyhood days. During 
the spring of 1866 he formed a partnership with 
Capt. C. S. Wells, now of Knoxville, Iowa, and en- 
gaged in the retail groceiy trade in this city. In 
the fall of 1867 Mr. Searle was elected Clerk of 
Courts of this county, and served four full terms. 
At the expiration of his term of office he was ad- 
mitted to the bar. Mr. Searle was elected and of- 
ficiated for a time as Cashier of the First National 
Bank of this city. In the month of January, 1876, 
he purchased a set of abstract books and has since 
given his attention to abstract, insurance and bro- 
kerage. He represents twelve of the leading in- 
surance companies of the w_orld, and does the lead- 
ing business in that line in the city. 

The Captain has been twice married, first to 
Miss Eliza Shangle, a native of Ohio ,Dec. 25, 1855. 
She departed this life in 1857. April 12, 1859, he 
espoused Miss JNIartha E. Turner, a danghter of 
Rev. Asa Turner, of Denmark, Lee Co., Iowa, a 
prominent and well-known minister of the Congre- 
gational Church, and organizer of the first church 
of that denomination in Iowa. Bj' this union there 
have been three children : Dora E. is the wife of 
Harry S. Howard, Vice President of the Mahaska 
County Bank of his city; Alice is a graduate of 
Grinuell College; and Hattie L. The family are 
members of the Congregational Church, and Capt. 
Searle has been Superintendent of the Sabbath- 
school of that society nearly twenty j-ears. 



11 





ii 






^n 

i 



m 



ssss^ssa. 




CHHHHEa 



MAHASKA COUNTY 



T'= 



Tlie Captain is esteemed one of mir most success- 
1 liiisine.«s men, and has acquired a very conifort- 
: able fortune during his residence in this city. The 
elements which have conduced to bring about this 
desirable condition are those which obtain in the 
history of nearly every successful business man — 
first, an integrity which establishes confidence in 
the minds of the public, then the ability to perform 
that which is jiromiscd, in a proper manner, not for- 
getting that uniform courtesy which wins patrons 
and retains tliem. Capt. Searle possesses this rare 
combination in a remarkable degree, hence his suc- 
cess. In all matters of public interest having for 
their object the advancement of the material in- 
terests of his fellow-citizens, he will always be 
found in the front ranks, not with his influence 
alone, but with his time, his labor luid his mone}'. 
In moral reform he stands upon the highest plane, in 
the forefront of the contest, and is fearless and out- 
spoken in the advocacy of all measures liaving for 
their object the betterment of the condition of his 
fellow-men. 



-^-^^-^^ 



1) C. McCLAIN of Monroe Township, is en- 
gaged in the business of general mei'chan- 
dising and farm machinery at Rose Hill, 
Iowa, under the firm name of McClaiii & 
Son. He was born in Licking County, Ohio, Sept. 
13, I<s;i;). and is a son of fieorge and Prudence 
(Chilcote) McClain, natives of Pennsj'lvania. They 
are both living, and reside in Newark, Licking Co., 
Ohio. The subject of this sketch, B. f. McClain, 
came to this county in ISGl, and followed farming 
until Jan. 18, 188C, when he began merchandising. 
He was married, Aug. HI, 18G(), to Miss Caro- 
line Nash, who was born in England Feb. 19, 1838, 
and is the daughter of John and Jlary (Martin) 
Nash, natives of England. Mr. and Mrs. McClain 
became the parents of two children: John B., 
born Jan. 30, 18C2, died Nov. 10, 1881; and G. 
N., born ^larch 18, 18()5. In the business of gen- 
eral merchandising, this firm carries a stock of 
^."iiOOO worth of goods, and is doing an extensive 
and profitable business. Mr. McClain owns 309 






■ II I iiiixrtim 




acres of excellent land in Monroe Township, all of 
which is under fence, in a good state of cultivation, 
with a tine orchard of bearing trees, a lirsl-class 
dwelling, good barn and other out-buildings, and is 
in a first-class shape in all respects. He also owns 
a good dwelling-house and one lot in the town of 
Rose Hill. Mild IGO acres in Norton Center, Norton 
Co., Kan. Mr. McClain brings to the conducting of 
his business the same industry, energy and good 
management that conduced to his success as a 
farmer. He is a man of influence in the commu- 
nity where he resides, because of his superior at- 
tainments, and is greatly esteemed by a large circle 
of friends and acquaintances. 



I 



1 

F 



»'w- .^/v4jiijZ£r©-^^ 



fy^^^d'O d»*^ '\/x/>^ 



4p^ HADRACH MORGAN, residing upon sec- 
^^^^ tion 35, Garfield Township, was born in 
l\l^_3) ^^ i^'^s, in 1823, and is a son of John and 
^Margaret Morgan, both of whom were na- 
tives of the same country. The father died in 
18;)5, and the mother a few 3'ears later. Shadrach 
Morgan, the subject of this sketch, came to Amer- 
ica, landing in I'hiladelphia on the 3d of Augu>t. 
1847. He first located at Minersville, Schuylkill 
Co., Pa., where he lived a few months, and then 
went to Danville in the same State, where he lived 
a year, and was engaged in the iron works. He 
then w^ent to Luzerne Count}-, Pa., where he re- 
mained six weeks and then returned to Schuylkill 
Countj', remaining two years more. He then vis- 
ited his native land, and staid six months, return- 
ing again tt) Schuylkill Count}', where he lived one 
and a half years. He then went to California by 
way of the Isthmus of Panama, where for twd 
years and a half he was engaged in the gt)ld mines, 
meeting with fair success. Returning .again to 
Schuylkill Count}', he made that his home one and 
a h;df years, and then went back to California, re- 
siding there nine years, engaged in mining the 
greater part of the time, with indifferent success. 
Returning from California ■Mr. Morgan went to 
Pennsylvania and staid three months, during which 
time he was engaged in coal mining. On the 4tli 
of July, lsi)."i. he lauded in Mahaska C'ounty and 



3 numxxij 

S IrTxxzzniimuiiiuuiiurTTil 



- kirf ^^-^ 






MM 



II 



m 



1 



ft. -A • 




m 



m 



i^ 



i 



iM 



m 

MM 



II 

li 

Pi 



located on section 35, Garfield Township, where he 
still lives, and is the owner of fifty-four acres of 
land. He has been engaged in mining and farming 
since coming to this county. 

Shadrach Jlorgan was married in 1851 to Han- 
nah Williams, a native of Wales, and daughter of 
Iven and Mary (Thomas) Williams. Tbey are the 
parents of three children: John, born March 22, 
1855: INIary Kllen, Xov. 7, 1850: and David, Jan. 
20, 1870; they are all living at home. Mr. and 
Mrs. Morgan are members of the Congregational 
Church. He is also a member of the I. O. O. F. 
and A. F. & A. M. 

In politics jMr. Morgan is ver^v liberal. While 
living in his native country he learned the trade of 
a stonemason, which he worked at for some years 
and also followed that trade a portion of the time 
after coming to America. His first trip to Califor- 
nia was made in a sailing vessel, ami he was 108 
days on the voyage from New York to San Fran- 
cisco. During the trip they ran short of provis- 
ions and for a time were limited to one tablespoon- 
ful of rice at one meal and a half biscuit at another. 
Mr. Morgan is now living a quiet life, respected by 
all who know him. 



11 



m 
m 



I 



K^ 



ACOB WOLFE is a farmer and stock-grower 
on section 35, Cedar Township. He was 

, ^ ^ liorn in Stark County, Ohio, Jul}' 10, 1825, 

^M| '-^Z' andis the son of Samuel and ^Marj- (Shi vely) 
Wolfe, the former a native i>f Pennsylvania and the 
latter of Virginia. The}' moved from Indiana to 
Keokuk County, Iowa, in 1865. and both of them 
died in this State. 

The subject of this sketch, Jacob Wolfe, remained 



il with his parents until he was twenty-one years old, 
I and then began life for himself. He was married 

J in 1848 to Lydia Anmock, a native of Ohio, born 
March 12, 1827, and the daughter of George and 

J, Julia A. (Hull) Anmock, the former a native of 



"»^^ -^'^®"' J'^''*ey and the latter of Ohio. Mrs. Anmock 
j died in Ohio, and her husband in Iowa, while on a 
3 visit among his children. Jacob Wolfe came to Ma- 
haska County in 1873. He is the father of eleven 




children : Lucinda is the wife of William Cisco, liv- 
ing in Wapello County ; Linda A ; Julia A. is the 
wife of AVesley Jackson, living in this township; 
Samuel: Hannah is the wife of M. B. Lee, and re- 
sides in this township; Liuford; Mary is the widow 
of N. M. Lee, and resides in this township; Harmon 
II., Laura A., Emma E., and Freeman W. 

Mr. Wolfe owns 140 acres of excellent land, all 
in a high state of cultivation, and his house, barn, 
and other buildhigs and improvements are first class 
in every respect. His wife is a member of the 
United Brethren Church. In his political relations 
!Mr. W. is «i Republican. In every relation of life 
he will be found to be a first-class citizen and a man 
of strict integrity, highly esteemed by neighbors 3 
and friends. 

yTLLIAM BOWEN, residing on section 35, 
Garfield Township, was born in South 3| 
^ ^ AVales in 1839. He is a son of William ^ 
and Mary Bowen. Being the son of a poor man, i 
his educational advantages were limited indeed, a, 
and he was earl}' trained to hard work. In the 5 
coal mines of the old country he spent the greater a 
part of his life until he was thirty years of age, q 
when he determined to emigrate to the United fi 
.States, witli the hope of bettering himself and fam- S: 
ily. He came by steamship and was twelve days Se 
in making the voyage. For the first six months Sp 
he engaged in coal mining in Ohio, but in the fall 
of 1809 came to Mahaska County and located at 
Beacon, where he continued the occupation of a 
coal miner. In the village of Beacon he remained 
fourteen years, and then located upon section 35, 
(iarfield Township, where he had purchased fifty 
acres of land some time previous. On this i>lace 
he erected a comfortable dwelling-house at the cost 
of §800 in addition to his own labor. 

Before leaving his native land in l8(;;i, Mr. 
Bowen was united in marriage with Mary Lus- 
combe, a native of the South of England, and 
daughter of William and Susan (Sargent) Lus- 
comlie. Ten children have been born to them: 
James, who- died July 26, 1875; Mary Ann, now 
engaged in teaching in Edmunds County, Dak.; 
she is a graduate of the Beacon public school, and 



lII»um«rTTHTTTr 



IramxnTTTXuni ti J. 



aSci^SiSd 




1: 







MAHASKA COUNTY. 



i:U 









I 

i; 

\ 

\': 
\ 
\- 

i; 
\. 
1 

M! 

1: 

I 

ll 



taught three terms iu this county before going to 

Dakota; Susie and Mima are at home; Arthur died 

.lulj 27, 1874; Fredericli. Willie, Oscar, Sarah and 

Xelly. 

; ^Ir. Boweu and wife are members of the Baptist 

: Church, and he is also a member uf ti>e I. O. O. F. 

3 and the Knights of I'ythias. In politics he is a 

: Proiiibitionist. AVhile a resident of Beacon, he was 

; a School Director for two terms. 



^M=^v^ 






^OIIN B. ADLON. Among the business men 
I ■ of push and energy of Oskaloosa, who have 
^_^ I accumulated what they have of this world's 
- '((^jl goods through their own energy and perse- 
; ^ crance, and not as recipients of a legacy, is the 
S subject of this short notice. He is a watch-maker 
n by trade and is engaged in the watch and jewelry 
: business and also deals in musical instruments, and 
: established his business at Oskaloosa in 1850. Mr. 
Adlon has been engaged in his present business 
S longer than au^' one else in Mahaska County, hav- 
s ing spent upward of thirty -six j-ears in the same. He 
5 began in a small waj', mended jewelry, repaired 
: watches and clocks, and as the demand for the jew- 
; elry in those early days as well as repairing was 
\ not sutticient to occupy his time, or his sales large 
'• enough for him to make a living, he carried on a 
•; barber-shop in connection with his business. But 
; close attention to business and the growth and de- 
; velopment of the eountr3' soon increased his trade 
■; and his stock was increased proportionately, until 
■ji he now has an extensive establishment, and is meet- 
ing with signal success. 

Mr. Adlon was born in Mentz, a city of Uesse. 
B the principal city of Rhein-IIessen, on the left bank 
3 of the river Ithine, Dec. 18, 182G. He is the son of 
c Nickolaus and Annie Adlon, and learned his trade in 
B his native city, after an apprenticeship of five j-ears. 
3 He then traveled in Europe and worked as a " jour " 
.Ig until 1849. when he came to the United States, 
ilE landing at Mew Orleans. He worked in St. Louis 
ic for a while, and in December, 1850, came to Os- 
kaloosa and engaged in his present business. 

Mr. Adlon was united in marriage in .St. Louis, 



Mo., April 9, 1850, with JHss Elizabeth J. Kalb- 
fleisch. She was born in Dillingen (Hesse Homburg) 
Germany, March 10, 1830, and has borne our sub- 
ject six children, two sons and four daughters, all 
of whom are living: John H., born iu Oskaloosa. 
May 20, 1851, married Alice K. Kline, and is :i 
farmer in Garfield Township; Mar^' A., born iu 
Keokuk, Iowa, March 24, 1853, was next in order 
of birth; Henrietta E., born in Oskaloosa, Nov. 
27, 1854, became the wife of Prof. Howe, of Os- 
kaloosa Commercial College; Ida F.. born in Oska- 
loosa, Nov. I'.l, 1850, married F. Horst and they re- 
side in Oskaloosa; Nickolaus C, born in Oskaloosa. 
April 7, 1859, married Mary Ivalbfleisch, and they 
are living at Farniington, Iowa; Eunice H., born 
iu Oskaloosa, April 7, 1801, married R. O. Mor- 
rison, a resident of Oskaloosa. The good wife and 
mother died Feb. 20, 1803, respected and loved by 
all who knew her. 

The second marriage of our subject took pl.ace 
Dec. 10, 1807, in Oskaloo.sa, and the lady selected 
as his life companion w;is Jliss Sarah P. Byei-s. 
She is a sister of Consul S. II. M. B3>ers, and 
daughter of .James Bycrs, and was born in Mercer 
County, Pa., .hily 7, islo. Of tiie latter union 
two children were liorn — Maggie May, .Jul3- 5, 
1809, and Alice Anna, June I, 1871. Mrs. Sarah 
Adlon departed this life Jan. 19. 1875. Religiously 
Mr. Adlon is a Unitarian, and in [lolitics indepen- 
dent. 

-»»-HH-<sJijt:J^>i|f -KH-e- 



il 



II 



.mm 



P^ECBEN WlllTAKER, of the firm of Whit- 
'if' aker & Shriver, dealers in books, stationerj' 
and wall i)aper, Oskaloosa, was born in 
^^ Muskingum County, Ohio, Dec. 15, 1835, 
and is a son of John and Elizabeth (McGiffin) 
Whitakcr. The foi-mer was a native of Virginia, 
of Scotch ancestry, and in his early life was a car- 
penter, but in later 3-ears a miller. In 1855 the 
family came to Oskaloosa, and the father under- 
took the building of a gristmill in the southern 
part of the citj', near the present site of the South 
Spring Mills, and died Dec. 18, 1850. before the 
mill was completed. The mother is still living, and 
resides two miles north of Oskaloosa with her sons 
Samuel and Frank. To them were born eleven 



m 



P": 




[ I «T;mTT«^yTir^T1 



^^^^' 




w iTi.Tt^nrT imw 



I tij.agxxjmxxixxi-Uiixixi iJLi i 



iTTtizimzzzrnixixznimiil 









232 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



^ 



children, eight of ^vhom arc living, as follows: 
Mary E. is the wife of Vi'. K. VValhice, a printer at 
Des Moines; Reuben; Sarah is the widow of George 
K. Led^-ard ; John was in tlie arm}- in Co. E, 3:3d 
Iowa ^'ol. Inf., and was wounded in the battle of 
Helena, and died in a hospital at Memphis, he 
ranked as .Second Sergeant; Gideon L. is Weigh- 
master at the Iowa Central Stockyards, Oskaloosa; 

llP^' .Maggie E. is the wife of Jesse Hyatt, a farmer in 
Sontliern Dakota; .lennie is the wife of Edward 

III Williams, of "What Cheer, Liwa; Samuel ^^'. and 

III I ! Frank are on the home farm. 

Reuben Whitaker received a good conimon- 
sehool education, and also attended Muskingum 
College two j^ears. After the family came to Iowa, 
in is,')5, he worked in a sawmill until Is.jO. then 
took a trip to Pike's Teak, and on his return en- 



ii 



hi 



<i-aa'ed as clerk in the drug-store of William ^I. 
AVells, for one j'ear. In the summer of 18G2 he 
enlisted as a private soldier in Co. E, 33d Iowa Vol. 
Inf., and served until the close of the war. He was 
with his regiment in the capture of Little Rock, 
Ij :] Ark., and in numerous other engagements. After 
l^i^l the capture of Little Rock he was promoted t(.) be 
Hospital Steward. (_)n his return from the army, 
lie resumed his former occupation in the drug-store 
of Wells & Wright, continued with them two years, 
then bought a grocery stock, run that business one 
year, and returned again to dut}' with his old ein- 
[iloyer, W. M. Wells. He started the first exclu- 
sive news depot in Oskaloosa in the room now oc- 
cupied by Searle & Scott, and disposed of the busi- 
!!P^' uess in 188.5, to Charles H. Ralston. In tlie year 
1878 the firm "of Whitaker & Shriver started a 
boiik-store near the Herald otliee in the Ketner 
Ijuilding. In 1881 they bought out the old Cen- 
cii tral Book Concern, No. 117 AVest High avenue, 
and have conducted business there since. In 1882 
they bought the building, which is substantial 
|t| brick, 20x110 feet, with three stories and a base- 
;|yment. On the main floor is kept the stock of books 
and wall paper. The second floor is used for sur- 
plus stock and the third for storage. They do a 
wholesale and retail business, carrying all the lead- 
ing college and school text books, and do a large 
and profitable business. 

Sept. 18, ISGG, Mr. Whitaker was united in mar- 



II 





riage with Miss Harriet L. Shriver, a native of 
Ohio, born Aug. .5, 1839, and a daughter of Samuel 
and .Sarah (Fink) Shriver, natives of I'ennsylvania. 
By this union there have been two children: 
Charles P., born Oct. IG, 18G8, and Harry R., Oct. 
18, 1873. Charles P. is a graduate fnnn the Os- 
kaloosa High School in the class of 1880, and is a 
salesman with Whitaker & Shriver. 

JNIr. AVhitaker is a member of the Masonic fra- 
ternity, and himself and wife are members of the 
Congreg.ational Church. He is ranked among the 
leading and successful business men of 0.skaloo.sa; 
has achieved success by a close attention and per- 
sonal direction of all details of the business, and a 
thoroughness of knowledge and push and energy, 
that combined, are sure to bring about desirable 
results. He bears a most excellent character as a 
Christian gentleman and citizen, and enjoys the 
full coiifldenee of all who know him. 



m 






^^^ 



-♦♦— i»w» 




1^, HARLES WING, of Oskaloosa Township, 
was born in Ciucinn.ati, Ohio, March 21,1 820. 
He is the sou of Cornelius Wing, a native 
of Connecticut, born Ma}- 7, 1766. Cornelius Wing- 
was a highly educated man, and established a 
school in the city of Cincinnati, which attained a 
wide reputation throughout the West, and at the 
time of his death there were in attendance 200 
pupils from all parts of the country. He was mar- 
ried to Miss Mehitabel Wing, not a relative, who 
was born Nov. 22, 1768. The children were as fol- 
lows: Sarah, born June 22, 17'J1, died Aug. 13, 
1793; Mehitabel, born F'eb. 24, 1793, died in in- 
fancy; Joseph, born Ajiril 2.3, 1795, was drowned 
at Natchez, Miss., March 9, 1822, by falling over- 
board from a steamer; Edward, born April 8,1802, 
was a school teacher, and after the death of his 
father succeeded to the management of the school 
at Cincinnati; one daughter died in Infancy; 
Charles, born Nov. 10,1804, died Feb. 26, 1805; 
Eliza, born May 12, 1806, died in New Orleans; 
William, born June 11, 1808, followed the Missis- 
sippi River for flftj^ j-ears as a clerk on a steamer, 
and died upon the river. Mrs. JMehitabel Wing 
died at Auburn. Cayuga Co., N. Y., Oct. 27, 1816, 



f^^^sff 



jixunxjuj ' 



iixnirrrrrmrmJtiJ '-•i 



as?: 






ixna.nuxjuxxinxnx I 



T TTvNfTnairiii 



-V-c1 



rxxxuzuxxxr 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



233 



i 



rB 



li 

15: 



I 

i;- 

I 
i! 

ij:: 
i;.: 

i.lE 
1-1: 
iti: 
u;: 



aged fort3'-seven years, eleven months and five 
days. She was a member of ttu' Society of 
Friends. IMr. Wing was again married, to Eliza- 
beth Crispin, who was born July 23, ITsi. By this 
union tlioro wore two children: Charles, born 
March 21, 1820, and Benjamin, born .June 23, 
1822, died .Tuly 28, 182.5. Cornelius Wing died 
Sept. 16, 1823. He was a member of the Society 
of Friends, was a man of exalted Christian chai-ae- 
ter, and was widely' Icnown and greatly beloved by 
the members of that societ}-. Elizabeth Wing died 
Jan. 1, 18G1. She was also a member of the Societ}" 
of Friends. 

The subject of this sketch was raised in Cincin- 
nati. Ohio, and during his growth to manhootl in 
that city received a liberal education. He was 
married in Clermont County, (Jhio, April 3, 1842, 
to Miss Catherine Leever, born March 21, 1821. 
Of this marriage three children are living: Will- 
iam O., born May 3, 1849, is now somewhere in 
the western territoiy in a government survejang 
party; Edward, born April 3, 1851, is at Superior, 
Xuckolls Co., Neb.; Margaret P>., born Nov. 29, 
18.o7, is the wife of John B. Threlkeld, of Superior, 
Neb. 

In 18.53 Mr. Wing emigrated to this count}' and 
built a gunsmith-shop, on the ground now occupied 
by the new court-house in Oakaloosa. This was 
the first establishment of the kind in the county, 
and is believed to have been the first one built and 
operated in this part of the State. In 185.5 he pur- 
chased a farm in Spring Creek Township, where he 
resided continuously for twenty-seven j'ears, sell- 
ing the farm a few years since to a coal sj'ndicate, 
and receiving therefor $80 per acre. Mrs. Cather- 
ine Wing, who was a sincere and earnest Christian, 
and a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
died Oct. 5, 186G. Mr. Wing was again married in 
this count}-, to Sarah E. Thornburg, who was born 
in Greene Count}-, Ohio, Ajiril 18, 1835. She was 
a daughter of Thomas and Nancy (Moorman) 
Thornburg. Her father was a native of Lexington, 
Ky., but removed to Ohio while but a small boy, 
and her mother was a native of Ohio. They were 
both members of the Society of Friends. There 
w-as born to them a family of seven children, six 
now living: Sarah E.. wife of the subject of this 



sketch ; Melissa J., of Cass County, Iowa, wife of 
A. JI. .Saunders; Aloiizo E., of Madison County, 
Iowa; Dosha 1)., of this county, wife of .Jacob 
Shaul; Nannie E., of Oskaloosa, wife of Delos 
Dean; Thomas J., of Mahaska County. Mrs. Tiinrii- 
burg died March !l, 1871, and her husband March 
21, 1875. They were sincere Christian people and 
iiighly respected wherever known. They came to 
Oskaloosa March 8, 1864. Our subject and wife 
are the parents of three children — Katie E., Nannie 
E. and Dosha C, all at home. Mr. and Mrs. Wing 
are leading and intluenlial members of the Society of 
Friends, and take an active interest in the advance- 
ment of the welfare, spiritual and temi)oral, of that 
society. Charles Wing is an honorable, upright 
citizen, enjoying the respect and esteem of his fel- 
!ow--men in an eminent degree. He has taken an 
active interest in the development of the resources 
of this city and county, aiding in this woi'k, as well 
by his means as by his personal intluence and indi- 
vidual effort. 



ACOB KRISER, farmer and stock-gTower on 
section 1 , Spring Creek Township, was born 
in Lebanon County, Pa., March 20, 1811, 
and is the son of Gasper and Jane (Baney) 
Kriser, who w-ere of German origin. They were 
among the early settlers of Pcuusylvania, settling 
there before the Indians had abandoned that coun- 
try. Gasper Kriser was a farmer and stock-raiser, 
and the father of twenty-seven children, and raised 
five others of different parentage. He had two 
wives, by the first of whom twelve children were 
born, and the latter, who wiis the mother of the 
subject of this sketch, had fifteen children. At 
his death he owned 1,200 acres of the best land 
in Lebanon County, Pa., was very w-ealthy, and 
one of the best farmers in that section of the coun- 
try. 

The subject of this sketch, Jacob Kriser, removed 
from Pennsylvania to Illinois in 1840, and lived 
there until 1854, when he removed to this county, 
where he has resided since. He was married, Dec. 
17. 1832, to Jane Killinger, a native of Pennsylva- 
nia, and of German parentage. By this union there 



1 



iHH': 



iiff^^ 



I' 



tii n 



i Mil 



u. 



' «itX UUXgX»«lJXUlJtll tXll 



niJiiTgnmiiiiiirmiiro 







Lt.lXJZUXXX 



I i'l'i i"' '"*'"'*" '"^'""^ *'*'*"* 




•234 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



Ml 

1 I 



were eight ohilclren born: Michael, Sally, Jacob. 
.John and William, living, and David, Balser and 
James, deceased. Jacob Kriser is the owner of 3.30 
acres of good land, all nnder cultivation, with good 
buildings and other ap|)urteuances to a first-class 
farm. Mr. Kriser is a prosperous, well-to-do 
farmer, and one among the most successful of that 
profession in the count}-, and has achieved his pres- 
ent success by good judgment and proper economy. 
I [e is a man of the strictest integrity, honorable 
and straightforward in his transactions among 
men, and enjo.ys and merits the esteem of an ex- 
tended circle of acquaintances. 




*-:^<^>-J»iB^ -ca^ 



>^5.^-»<tffe^r 



m 



V OULTNEY LOUGHRIDGE, deceased, was 
born in McKeesport, Pa., May 24, 1800, 
and was the son of James and Jane (Poult- 
nej^) Loughridge. He removed with his 
parents from Pennsylvania to Richland Count}', 
Ohio, and located near Mansfield. He was married 
in Richland Count}% March 27, 1.S27, to Miss Maria 
Ann Jlitchell, a daughter of John and JNlar}- (Black) 
Mitchell, natives of Pennsylvania. She was born 
in Knox County, Ohio, March 1.^, 1810, and re- 
moved with her husband shortly after marriage to 
Huron County, Ohio. Of eleven children born to 
them, seven are now living; the first seven were 
born in Ohio, the others in Mahaska Count}' : John 
M. is a farmer and minister in Appanoose County, 
Iowa; Emily J., widow of James W. Correll, is in 
Beaver Head County, Mont. ; Joseph J. has a stock 
ranch in Montana, and is a gold miner; James is a 
farmer in Spring Creek Township, this county ; 
Thomas is a farmer in Montana; Mary is the wife 
of Philip Shaver, a farmer residing in Poweshiek 
County ; JMargaret E. married George Ritchie, a 
butcher in Hardin County, and is deceased ; Albert, 
minister in the Baptist Church, and also a teacher, 
esides in Burlington, Iowa; he was for nearly ten 
ears a missionary to India, and brought home with 
him from that country four of their idols, a i^ecu- 
liar musical instrument, and many other curiosities; 
Edmund F. died at the age of ten years. 

Poultney Loughridge came to Iowa in the fall of 
1842, stopping temporarily in Washington County, 



and in the spring of 1843 came to Spring Creek 
'I'ownship, in this county, and took up a large tract 
of land. In addition to his wife and seven chil- 
dren, there came with him his wife's brother, Rob- 
ert Mitchell, another brother, Edmund Mitchell, 
his wife and one child, and his wife's cousin, John 
McAllister, with his wife and four children.. Upon 
the laud he originally entered, he i-esided continu- 
ously until his death, which occurred Oct. 15, 1874. 
The farm of nearly 200 acres, with all of its fine 
improvements, is the property of his widow, who 
yet survives. 

AVhen they first located in this county, it was yet 
in possession of the Indians, and while waiting for 
the land to come into market, they were obliged to 
avoid the soldiers in order to hold their claim until 
the proper time came to enter it as provided by 
law. He was really one of the first of all the pio- 
neers in this county. The two brothers and cousin 
of Mrs. Loughridge all located claims at the same 
time, and eventually secured them after the Indians 
had left. Mrs. Loughridge was one of the first 
white women in this county, and remembers very 
distinctly the Indians, who were plenty in those 
days. The first election held in Mahaska County 
was at the log cabin on their claim, and the box in 
which the ballots were cast is now in possession of 
Dr. D. A. Hoffman, of Oskaloosa. 

We who live in these latter da}'s scarcely ap- 
preciate, if we ever think of the hardships and 
privations endured by the early settlers in this new 
country. The staff of life in those days was corn 
bread, and this, without change. Mi", and Mrs. 
Loughridge lived up(jn for eighteen months, and 
their neighbors fared no better than they. The near- 
est mills were at Farmington, Burlington and En- 
glish River, the latter fifteen miles from Iowa City. 
At one time in the spring the water was so high in 
the streams that it took three weeks to get a grist 
from the nearest mill. In the meantime they lived 
on hominy, which they pounded in a large block. 
'I'his was common property, to which all the neigh- 
bors came, and it was kept in active use most of 
the twenty-four hours of the day. 

Poultney Loughbridge was an abolitionist in his 
early days, and later on affiliated with the Repub- 
lican party. He was a prominent and leading mem- 







^j^r.c!rl 




1^^^^^^ 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 




ber of tlie Unitod Presl\vtorinn Chnroh. Since his 
decease liis ^virlow has removed tn Oskaloosa, and 
resides in a comfortable home in tlie sontheast part 
of tlie city. Mr. I.oiiu'liridge was a man of more 
than average abilit}', and of i>Teat force of charac- 
ter, just the material of which sturdy pioneers are 
made, and to men of liis mold of mind and strength 
of character, this country is indebted for its re- 
markable development. For years it had been 
marked upon tlie maps as a barren desolate waste 
unfit for the habitation of civilized men. Cour- 
ageous men, however, spied out the land, settled 
upon it and found it a fruitful soil, yielding a 
thousand-fold U> the labor of the skillful toiler, 
and because of this endured the privations incident 
to life in a new country, that others might reap the 
benefit of their sacrifices. Marble monuments may 
not mark their last resting-places as testimonials of 
gratitude from those who have followed after, yet 
their names are engraved upon the tablets of mem- 
ory and the remembrance of their early trials is 
transmitted from one generation to another as a 
tradition of the past, thus building fortiiem a mon- 
ument more imperishable than brass. 



~%/W .'v^iiCXi'©^^ 



|•>*g|^a/OT^f»>-'V^/^~ 




ICHAEL L. SHOEMAKE, dealer in new 
and second-hand furniture, cook and heat- 
ing stoves, pumps, lightning-rods, etc., es- 
tablished his business in Oskaloosa in 1857, 
and has resided within the boundaries of Mahaska 
County since 1853. He is an active business man, 
wide awake to his own interests, and always ready 
to lend a helping hand to any cause that is calcu- 
lated to advance the interests of the community- in 
which he lives. Mr. Shoemake was born in Smith 
County, Tenn., Sept. 17, 1835, and is a son of 
Michael and Judy Shoemake. His parents were 
natives of Tennessee, and our subject remained a 
resident of his native State until seventeen 3'ears 
of age, receiving the advantages afforded by the 
common schools. In 1853 he came to Oskaloosa 
and embarked in tlie gi'ocery business, starting the 
first extensive grocery establishment in that city. 
In 1857 lie began his present business, and has 



carried it on continuously ever since, meeting witli 
success. 

He was married, Aug. I, 1 S5!), at Oskaloosa, to 
Hettie A. Wroughtoii. She was horn in Ohio, and 
has borne our subject three children, all sons. 
John H. resides in Oskaloosa, and is a pressman li\ 
trade; Frank W. married Delia Meeks, and they 
are living in Osicaloosa, as likewise is Harry W . 
Mrs. Shoemake is a member of the Methodist Epis- 
copal C'IhucIi. In politics our subject was formerly 
a Rei)ul)lican, but at present is a member of the 
Greenback party. Socially lie belongs to the I. O. 
O. F., and is a respected and iionored citizen of 
the county. 




.^■^»^- 



m 



■^itf-* 




^^IDEON B. McFALL, Sr., a dealer in lum- 
Itl ^=, ber, resides in Fremont, Iowa. He was 
'^^4! born in Bartholomew Count\% Ind., .Jan. 
17, 1823, and is the son of William and .bine 
(Fenton) McFall, who were natives of Kentucky. 
The first-named was a soldier in the War of 1812. 
They moved to Indiana, where the latter died in 
1839, and Mr. ISIcFall was again married, to Maiy 
Ann (iilliland, and removed in 184C from Indiana 
to Iowa, remaining about fourteen j'ears, when he 
w-ent to Harrison Count}-, Mo., and died in 1869. 
The subject of this sketch came to this State 
from Indiana in 1847, residing continuousl}' upon 
the farm he yet owns, on section 4, Cedar Town- 
ship, until 1882, since which time he has been en- 
gaged in the lumber business at Fremont. He was 
married, Jan. 16, 1845, to Miss Mary Newsom, 
who was born in Bartholemew County, Ind., Dec. 
2, 1824, and is a daughter of John and Charlotte 
(Hollowell) Newsom. Her father died in Indiana 
in 1825, and her mother in Iowa in 1857. Mr. and 
Mrs. McFall are the parents of nine childieii : Mar- 
tha J., deceased; Charlotte M. is the wife of 
George \V. Beck, living in Wapello Count}', this 
Stiite; William O. is married to Sarah Lloj'^d, and 
they reside in Fremont, Iowa, where he practices 
medicine and surgery; Maiy A. is tlie wife of .Sam- 
uel Boman, living in Bartholomew Count}-, Ind. ; 
Kinnia A. is the wife of M. E. Keith, of Atlantic, 






Hi 

11' 
liiJij 

m 

m 



•wm\ 



ill 

urn 
km 



wm 

m 
nil 



'E5 






236 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



p:.7( 



n 
m 



M\ 






D 



tbHHHH] 




Iowa ; Clara is the wife of Daniel Votaw, of Cedar 
Township; Gideon J}., Jr., is a lawyer at Oska- 
loosa: Jennie L. is residing at home; one son died 
in infanc}-. 

Mr. and Mrs. McFall are niemliers of the Meth- 
odist Episctopal Church. Politically he is a Dem- 
ocrat, and has held the offices of member of the 
Boaid of Supervisors, Justice of the Peace and 
Township Trustee, and is at present serving his 
third term as Mayor of the town of Fremont. 
With the exception of one or t^vo terms he has 
been a continuous member of the School Board for 
thirty years. Mr. McFall owns 1G2 acres of most 
excellent land, all in a high state of cultivation, 
with a line house, barn, and the best quality of im- 
provements of all kinds, and a line residence in the 
town of Fremont. lie is a pioneer in this county, 
and a gentleman well and favorabl}' known within 
its entire borders. In everything pertaining to 
the advancement of our material prosperit}' he has 
taken an active interest, and has promoted the 
growth and prosperity of the whole jyeople by ever}' 
means in his power. He is a man of the highest 
order of business ability, of the strictest integrity, 
honorable and high-minded in all things, and ranks 
first among the many good citizens of this count}'. 



eR. TROY, of Garfield Township, was born 
in Clermont County, Ohio, Nov. 2G, 18'24, 
and is a son of Benjamin and Nancy (Rob- 
inson) Troy. The former was a native of Virginia, 
and died in Morgan Count}', 111., in the year 1832, 
at the age of sixty-two years. The latter was also 
a native of Mrginia, and died in Garfield Town- 
ship, this county, in 1871, at the age of sixty-eight 
years. Six children were born to them, three of 
whom are living: Washington is a retired farmer, 
residing in Kansas; Abraham lives upon a farm in 
Prairie Township, and C. R., our subject. 

C. R. Troy was reared upon the farm, and has 
always followed that occupation. When about six 
years old his family removed to Morgan County, 
111. He removed thence to Fairfield, Jefferson 
County, this State, and came to this countv in 



BEl 



1843. locating in White Oak Township, about ten 
miles east of Oskaloosa. During this year the 
lands of the New Purchase were opened to settle- 
ment, and he, with his brother Abraham, took up a 
claim of 320 acres in that township. One year f 
later they went to Madison Township and bought 
a claim of 320 acres, upon which they resided for 
three years, then came to the present location on 
section 10, Garfield Township, and entered IGO 
acres of land, a portion of which is included in the 
present farm of C. R. Troy. Sevei-al years later 
they divided the land, each taking half, to which 
the subject of this sketch has added yet other lands, 
and now has at the home farm 190 acres. 

When Mr. Troy first settled in this county the 
Indians were just preparing to leave, and white 
settlers were a scarce commodity. No elegant 
farm-houses dotted the prairie, fences were an un- 
known quantity, roads were Indian trails, leading 
here and tliere over a vast expanse of jn-airie. To 
go to mill was a task frequently taking from three 
to four weeks, the nearest one being at Fairfield, 
fifty miles away. The lumber that built their 
abiding-places, and the salt that seasoned their 
hominy, was hauled by team from Keokuk. But 
they endured all these inconveniences, suited their 
wants to their means, lived and prospered through 
it all, and lived happy lives. 

C. E. Troy was married, April 11, 18.56, to Miss 
Amanda Lighter, a native of Kentucky, and daugh- 
ter of Andrew and Nancy Lighter. By this union 
there have been nine children: Jerome, James, 
Charles and Con are farmers, residing in this 
county; Amanda, Ernest, Andrew, Daniel and 
Frank are at home. 

In additipn to the home farm of 190 acres Mr. 
Troy also owns forty-five acres in Madison Town- 
ship. It is a fine farm, all in a high state of culti- 
vation, and has flrst-class imj)rovements. He is 
engaged in general farming and stock-raising, and 
has upon the place about fifty head of fine graded 
Short- horn cattle. He has made a success of life 
by persistent energy and industry, coupled with 
excellent man;igement and proper economy, and is 
fully deserving all the prosperity that has attended ji|i 
him. No one envies the pioneer his well-earned 
ease in his later days. There is no more honora- 

M 



I 
I 
I 

I 



it 



v.: I 





,JLXJJ[ t IJJt> |lXXl -l-tJLJ,-t h X. 

'Rrf i-'.i-'r' , 







i 

I: 
I I 
l-.l 



tSr'r'r'cg 



^r»xii^mirTTTTX«*TgT»'| 







MAHASKA COUNTY. 



239 



QiSble, liiu-h -minded citizen in this countv than the 
nj Ssubieet of this sketch, and none who stands hiohev 
;in tlie confidence and esteen^ of hi? fellow-citizens. 



VSi 



IfclLLIAM FREDERICK is a retired farmer 

stock-raiser of Harrison Township, re- 

g on section 21. He was born IMaj' 

25, 1800, in Pennsylvania, in what was formerly 

S§Northunilierland, now called Union County. He 

is a son of Thomas and Margaret A. (Tibbon) 

I i Frederick. Thomas Frederick was captured by the 

; Indians near or between Reading or-IIarrisLurg, 

J Fa., in the j'ear 1750, and kept by them a prisoner 

ifor eleven years. He was about five years old when 

'^'^ captured by the Shawnee tribe. The}' cut slits in 

^-bolh his ears for the reception of rings and other 

ornaments, as thej' proposed to make a chief of 

him. He died in Columbiana County. Ohio, ]May 

ijfi8, 1808; his wife also departed this life in that 

il county in March, 1825. Thej- were both of Ger- 

;man parentage. 

It 5 The subject of this sketch, in the fall of 1804, 

ifiwent from Pennsylvania to Ohio in compan}- with 

•ijhis parents, and remained thereuntil 1845, engaged 

il^Sin the manufacture of woolen goods, he having 

I learned this business while a young man. He un- 

:derstood and followed all the processes employed 

: in the manufacture of woolen cloth, from shearing 

Kthe sheep to the finishing process which made the 

ipS goods ready for the tailor's use. June 9, 1845, he 

S gathered together his familj', and started with 

■Steams for Iowa, bringing with him to this countj", 

igfive or six cows, 400 head of sheep and three head 

1 Sof horses. They h.ad a verj- successful trip, and 

i-iS arrived at the place where he now lives Aug. 7, 

lie o 1 

igl845, having consumed nearly two months' time on 

5 the trii), and losing onh- a few head of sheep. This 

iJ^B was before the land in the New Purchase came into 

::S market, and he bouoht out what was called a snuat- 

;:ter's claim, on a half section of land, which he aft- 

jS'erward entered. 

1 ^C Mr. Frederick now owns 710 acres of as fine land 

}-;as there is in the count}', all of it in a high state of 

J{ ; cultivation. He has on the place two fine frame 

I j; houses and an ample number of barns and out-build- 



ings of all kinds, and also a curiosity in the shape 
of a smoke-house made of a portion of a hollow 
sj-camore tree. It is about five feet in the clear in- 
side, the shell about one and one-fourth inches 
thick, and .stands about ten feet high, is covered 
with a shingle roof, and was put up in 1861. 

The subject of this sketch was married in Septem- 
ber, 1820, to Rebecca Shrlver, and to them have 
been born eight children : Electa ; Lufaj-ette was 
a soldier in the Mexican War, under Gen. Taylor, 
and died at Monterey', Mex. ; Clementine; George 
W.; William A., and three children who died in in- 
fancy. There is also an adopted daughter, Cather- 
ine, residing at home. The mother of these chil- 
dren died in October, 1857, and he was afterward 
united in marriage with Mary Reigart nee Jackson, 
who is now deceased. Mr. Frederick's first vote 
was cast for John Quincy Adams. He is now afKl- 
iated with the Republican party. 'Sir. V. is enjoy- 
ing the well-earned rest the struggles of his pioneer 
daj-s entitle him to, possessing a competence, and 
with it the highest esteem of a large circle of ac- 
quaintances. 



<^ OHN B. IIOOPES, a well-known and highly 
esteemed citizen of Oskaloosa, was born in 
Chester County, Pa., Feb. IG, 1809. When 
a child his parents removed to York County, 
near Ilarrisburg, and there he lived and worked 
upon the farm until he reached the age of seventeen 
years. He was then apprenticed to a tanner for 
three j'ears, for which he was to receive his board 
and clothes, three mouths' schooling during his ap- 
prenticeship, and at the end of the time a suit of 
clothes valued at §30, or $30 in cash, as he might 
elect. He worked several j'ears as a journeyman 
tanner, and in 1833, at Carlisle, Cumberland Co., 
I'a., was married to Miss Barbara Greider, who 
was born in Lancaster Count}', Pa., in 1815. 

In the spring of 1834 our subject and wife re- 
moved to Dayton, Ohio, where he was foreman for 
a number of 3'ears for Samuel McPherson, an exten- 
sive tanner in that vicinit}'. In the year 1844 he 
purchased a tract of land near Lima, Ohio, which he 
successfully cultivated for several years, when he 
sold at a good advance over the original cost, and 



I I 

I I 



1: 




i^j^ ggji fc^i ^jj SBS p- j gj ■■: 



CJlXntTTTi-d 




[ZZJZXXXJLUX 



TT''"'T""»"«'TT'"'"*«nr' 



fyn-n r» TTT»uy ruTTTxu nXT, 



re^.. 



t li J III! rxjixirm i ixi-tixni 



I rrrt rrr y i- fT m rrrT jTiTiitiTi 



'■'If' 



»COT 
1 *:j_i..i u : 



•UXXTTTim 






ii 

UN 



E:^^ 



|ii. .^ 



240 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



removed with his family to Dubuque County, 
Iowa, wliere lie ]5urehasecl a farm of 400 acres near 
the town of Cascade. Tills he cultivated until 
about tlie year 18G5, when lie came to Oskaloosa, 
where he has since resided. 

Mr. and Mrs. Ibiopes were the parents of ten 
children, nine of whom are living: Andrew, a 
farmer in Mahaska County ; Ann, wife of Jacob 
Whiteman, of Mahaska County, now deceased; 
John M., a banker of DalLas Centre, Iowa; Marion, 
a resident of Denver, Col. ; Jacob, a dry-goods 
merchant in Kansas; L3'dia, wife of R. G. Gilson, 
Florida; Swain, a merchant in this State; Daniel, 
who lives in Maliaska County; Lottie, wife of J. 
C. Steadman of this county ; Ezra, a merchant at 
Avoca, Iowa. Mrs. Hoopes died in 1879, and Oct. 
18, 1883, he was married to S. R. Tejile, a native 
of Indiana. 

Politicall}- Mr. Hoopes is an enthusiastic Repub- 
lican, but not an ofliee-seeker. Mr. Hoopes' early 
religious training was received in the Friends' So- 
ciety, but he afterward joined the Methodist Fipis- 
copal Church. As a citizen, he is a man to whom 
the word good applies in the superlative degree. 
He takes an active interest in public matters and in 
matters relating to the moral health of the citj', and 
as a representative citizen of this county the pub- 
lishers of this Albu-m take pleasure in presenting 
his portrait. 



S" AMUEL McCLAIN is a farmer and stock- 
grower on section 16, Cedar Township. 
He was born in Harrison Count3', Ohio, 
Sept. 2, 1830, and is the son of James L. 
and Sarah (Ensle}-) McClain, the former a native 
of Pennsylvania and the latter of Mainland. .James 
L. died in Harrison County, Ohio, in 1851, and his 
widow in 1883. 

The subject of this sketch was married. Dee. 9, 
18.51, to Jane English, who was born in Harrison 
County, Ohio, Feb. 11, 1835. She is a daughter 
of James and Jane (Perkins) English, both of 
whom died in Ohio. Our subject and wife are the 
parents of eight children — Joseph N., Sarah A., 



J. S., Wade, Xova, Jennison (deceased), Asa and 
Nellie. 

Mr. and ^Irs. ]MeCl.tin are members of the Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church. Politically he is a Repub- 
lican, and has held the office of Township Trustee. 
The home farm consists of 1 CO acres of good land, 
with an excellent house, well arranged, and com- 
modious b.arn, and other first-class improvements 
and conveniences in his business of general farm- 
ing and stock-raising, in which he is quite success- 
ful, by reason of good management, care and 
judgment. Personally Mr. McClain is much re- 
spected among his friends and neighbors as an 
upright citizen, good neighbor, and consistent 
Cliristian gentleman. 

--^ ^-^ ^ 



^ AjMES SEEVERS, deceased, an honored pio- 
neer of ]\Iahaska County, of 1843, was born 
in Frederick County, Va., Oct. 12, 1792. His 
parents, Henry and JIartha .Seevers, were de- 
scended from the French Huguenots. The family 
removed from France to Germany, and thence to 
America in colonial times and settled in Pennsylva- 
nia. Later the branch from which our subject 
sprang was established in Virginia. James served 
an apprenticeship to the tanner's trade, at which he 
worked but a few years, and then engaged in farm- 
ing. 

Our subject was united in marriage, in 1820, to 
Miss Rebecca Wilkins, who was born Nov. 23, 
1797. They were the parents of six children who 
lived to maturity ; two died in infancy, and one in 
childhood. William H., the eldest, is now Judge 
of the Supreme Court of Iowa, and a resident of 
Oskaloosa; he married Miss Caroline M. Lee (see 
sketch elsewhere in this work). Virginia R. is the 
widow of M. T. Williams, and a resident of Oska- 
loosa; Thomas F. married Louis.a Knight, and his 
death occurred in 1853; John M. was a soldier of 
the late war, being a private of the 3d Iowa In- 
fantry, .and died in 1S(;2 in the hospital, from dis- 
ease contracted in the service ; Theodore L. was a 
Lieutenant of the 33d Iowa Infantry ; . he married 
Miss Eliza Boswell, and resides at Marshalltown, 
Iowa; James A. was a Captain in the 15th Iowa In- 




(HK) 



I 



-si 



K2H2Sa 



i>UfiiriTiTi'Jiiiiiimitiiii_iiiitxi 

fSr'Hi-'r'i^l 




MAHASKA COUNTY. 



241 



I : 
I.: 

M 

h 

1 : 

l-S 

r.: 

li! 

k 

1-5 
\:i 



fautry; he married Maiy Collins, and died from 
disease contracted in the army. 

Mr. ISeevers emigrated from Mrginia to Iowa in 
18-t2. He spent one winter in Jefferson County, and 
in the spring of 184;icame to Oskaloosa, locating 
about a mile outside the city, and engaged in farm- 
ing. He was the first Justice of the Peace in Ma- 
haska County, and held the office man}' years. He 
was a true and consistent Christian, holding mem- 
bership with the Lutheran Church, and was an up- 
right, honorable man, who commanded the respect 
and good-will of his fellow-citi/ens. His demise 
took place at the ripe age of eighty-six years, April 
6, 1879. His wife, the cherished partner of his joj's 
and sorrows for many years, and a most estimable 
lady, died Jul}- 4, 1873. 




-^ 



ti.:-: 

if-t 
■i;> 
\;: 



i; 

ii 

i:: 
1 

V'\ 

il 



\\ : 

■4 - 
I : 
I : 
I : 
13S 

I : 

'1; ': 
X - 



R. M. L. JACKSON, surgeon dentist, is 
not onlj' the oldest practicing dentist of 
Oskaloosa, but of Mahaska County. He 
w.as the third of a faniil}' of seven chil- 
dren, and was born in Branchville, S. C, Aug. 24, 
1829. His parents, Solomon and Elizabeth (Over- 
ton) Jackson, were Ixjth natives of North Carolina; 
the former died at Knoxville, Iowa, in 1851, and 
the latter at Oskaloosa in 1878. When the Doctor 
was but seven years of age the family moved to 
Concord, 111., but subsequently located in Lee 
Count}', Iowa. 

The subject of tliis sketch remained with his par- 
ents until twenty years of age, when he went to 
Macomb, 111., and entered the office of Dr. J. B. 
Kyle to study medicine. While at ]Macomb he 
also read medicine in the office of Dr. J. II. Bacon, 
who was for many years one of the leading business 
and professional men of Ft. Madison, Iowa. Con- 
cluding to make dentistry his regular profession, 
he went to St. Louis, Mo., where he studied, and 
began practice at Keokuk, Iowa, in 1852. In 1854 
he came to Oskaloosa, where he has continued to 
reside, engaged in the active practice of his profes- 
sion, for almost a third of a century. 

Few men are more widely known than the Doc- 
tor. In his profession he stands high, his ability 
being recognized, not only by his friends and 



neighbors, but by the profession as well. In the 
State Dental .Society he served two terms as Vice 
President and one as President. As a business 
man and citizen he has ever had at heart the best 
interests of his adopted city and State, devoting 
much of his time to the public good. When the 
.State Bank of Iowa at Oskaloosa was organized, he 
was elected one of its Directors, and served as such 
during the active period of its existence. He was 
also instrumental in the organization of the First 
National Bank of Oskaloosa, and for five years 
served as one of its Directors. For more than 
thirty years the Doctor has been a member of the 
Masonic fraternity, at present being a member of 
Triluminar Lodge No. 18, A. F. & A. M., Hiram 
Chapter No. G, It. A. M., and Commandery No. 6, 
K. T. The fraternity has in him a strong advo- 
cate, and he h.as done much to build it up in this 
section of the country. In the organization of the 
Iowa Masonic Benevolent Society he actively par- 
ticipated, and for several years he was one of its 
Directors. 

On the 1st d.ay of November, 1855, Dr. Jackson 
was united in marriage with Miss Joan Phillips, a 
native of Illinois. They have five children — 
Harry, Dwight, Gertrude, Lizzie and Willie. Harry 
and Gertrude are married, the latter living in Des 
Moines. Dr. and Mrs. Jackson are members of 
the Presbyterian Church of Oskaloosa. 



'1. 



i 
1 



%M 



il 

•n 

km 
m 

mm 

11 

W 
mm 

m 



■>«i2.'2j2/©^-' 



->.^^^yZ'^nr»v. 




AVID McFALL, a farmer and stock-grower 
on section 9, Cedar Township, was bom in 
Bartholomew County, Ind., Dec. 5, 182G, 
and is the son of John and Isabel (Finton) 
McFall, who came to this county in 1848 and en- 
gaged in farming. The former died Oct. 21,1 884, 
and the latter May 30, 1 883 ; they are buried in 
the cemetery at Fremont. 

The subject of this sketch, David McFall, was 
married to Charlotte M. Brown, Sept. 4, 1856. She 
was born in Indiana Feb. 19, 1840, .and is the 
daughter of Harvey and Charlotte (Hollowell) 
Brown. Her father died in Indiana, and her 
mother in Iowa, Oct. 8, 1857. Mr. and Mrs. Mc- 







fcM' 



:^iia' 



k!i rrn I rj.T>il 



i^^^S 







; rx3 rm txxrmm x" 



242 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



nTTTi- b-^^ _ ; ] 



KiiiTjtt: 



Pi 



Fall are the parents of eight children: IMary F., 
born Jul3' 4, 1857; William O.. Feb. 23, 1859; 
Sarah F., born .June G, 1861, died Feb. 7, 18(5.3; 
David E., born April 20, 1863; Charles, Feb. 17, 
1867; Lottie May, Dec. 9, 1868; Jason, March 
27, 1871 ; Nellie G., born Feb. 16, 1874, died Aug. 
20, 1883; Mamie, born June 6, 1876. • 

Mr. JIcFall is a member of the G. A. R. ; he is a 
Eepuljlican in politics, and has held several local 
offices in his township. He enlisted in August, 
1862, in Co. K, 33d Iowa Vol. Inf., serving for 
tljree years, and participated with his regiment in 
^M the engagements of Helena, Little Rock, Camden, 
T,r T,. pi-aii-ie D'Anne, Poison Spring, Jenkins' Ferrj*, 
siege and capture of Mobile, in the army of ob- 
servation on the Mexican border, receiving his 
discharge at the close of the war. Mr. McFall was 
a good soldier, discharging every duty faithfully, 
and in the civil walks of life he is just as good a 
citizen. He is energetic and industrious, a man of 
strict integrity, and enjoys the esteem of his friends 
and acquaintances. 



pii 

m 




LIVER CRAWFORD, at present residing in 
Oskaloosa, was born iu Carroll County, 
Ohio, Oct. 3, 1836, and is the son of Mat- 
thew and Frances (Stevenson) Crawford, who were 
natives of Pennsylvania and Ireland. AVhen Oli- 
ver was ten j'ears old he came with his parents to 
Washington County, Iowa, in the year when it was 
admitted into the Union as a State. There he grew 
to manhood, receiving a common-school education 
and attending one year at Washington College. 

Mr. Crawford was married in that count}', in 
February, 1871, to Miss Lydia A. .Singmaster, a na- 
tive of Kentucky. By this union there were four 
children, three of whom are now living. Mr. 
Crawford is still a resident of Washington Count}', 
Iowa, where he has large property interests, but is 
temporarily sojourning at Oskaloosa, where he has a 
brick and tile yard iu the southwestern part of the 
Ucit}'. He usually employs four or five men, and in 
*" the season of 1886 he made 150,000 tile and 80,000 
brick. Mrs. Crawford died in 1878. She was a 
member of the Christian Church. In December, 



1880, he was again married, to Mrs. Naomi A. 
Maxwell, also a native of Kentuckj'. Upon the or- 
ganization of the Republican party 3Ir. Crawford 
affiliated with it, but at the present time votes and 
acts with the Democratic party. 

<| ,1^ W. SPRAGUE, of Garfield Township, is a 
\&j// native of Washington, Ohio, and a son of 
^y^ Jonathan and Susan (Lynch) Sprague, who 
were natives of Wheeling, W. Va. Jonathan 
Sprague was a farmer all his life, and was a soldier 
in the Mexican War. His ancestors were natives 
of Austria. He died Jan. 20, 1885; his wife's 
death occurred Aug. 13, 1883, at the age of sev- 
enty-eight years. The subject of our sketch came 
to this county in 1868, and settled in Des Moines 
Township, where he lived thirteen years, removing 
to his present location in September, 1881. He 
served the people of Des Moines Township one 
term as Township Trustee, and has been School 
Treasurer of Garfield Township for three terms. 

Mr. Sprague was married in 1864 to Miss Sarah 
M. Sprague (no relative). They are the parents 
of five children — Oscar, Osmer, Arthur, Asa and 
Vesta. His present farm consists of 120 acres of 
land, all improved, upon which there has been sunk 
a prospect shaft, which shows near a five-foot- 
eight-inch vein of coal, of the best qualit}' and re- 
sembling anthracite. 

Mr. Sprague was raised a farmer, began life as a 
poor boy, and has accumulated his present posses- 
sions by his own industry, good management, pru- 
dence and economy. He is a general farmer, but 
in the spring of 1885 turned his attention to the 
breeding of Poland-China hogs, making his first 
purchase from the celebrated herd of A. C. Moore, 
of Canton, 111. He now has a herd of ten thor- 
oughbred animals, and intends to continue the 
business. He is also the owner of a thoroughbred 
Durham bull. Mr. Sprague is a successful farmer 
and enjoys a reasonable degree of prosperity as a 
result of the intelligent direction and management 
of his affairs, and himself and wife enjoy the confi- 
dence and esteem of their friends and acquaint- 




} 



-l 



IXUrXXInfl'-lltXiln' t I ' 






r'r'Hr'HPr'r'r'r'r'i 




MAHASKA COUNTY. 



24". 



in: 



,-'•5 






ance:<. jMr. Sprague is now tuniing his attention 
to the daily Inisiness, ruiiiiini; at present one 
wagon, and snpplying Excelsior witli niilli each da}'. 



•.©♦o.-@^<A^..o*o.. 



--V- 



ii 

i| 

ll 

i 
ii 

I:: 
I : 
I c 
i;;5 

r:;E 

i;.c 
us 

I 



BENJAMIN P. ANDERSON. As a repre- 
,_ . sentative of the energetic business men of 
|fM) I, Osivaloosa we take [jleasnre in presenting the 
v^^T name of Mr. Anderson, of the firm of An- 
derson (fc Co., proprietors of the Oskaloosa Star 
Marble Works, which business was establislied in 
the spring of l.s.Sl bj- Mr. Anderson, and lias met 
with success. 

Benjamin Anderson was born in Monroe County, 
Iowa, Jan. "28, 1858, and is a son of John L. and 
Isabel (Henderson) Anderson. He received his 
education in the common schools, and supple- 
mented the same bj' an attendance at Oskaloosa and 
Penn Colleges, attending the former two years and 
the latter one year. He was married .Sept. 12, 1882, 
in Spring Creek Township, to Miss M. Luella Bil- 
lick, daughter of Jefferson Billick. She was born 
in tireene County, Pa., and came to this county 
with her parents in 18G8. Two children have been 
born to Mr. and Mrs. Anderson — John J., May 29, 
1884, and Ora D., Feb. 20, 1886. Mr. Anderson 
is a member of the United Presbyterian Church, 
and in politics votes with the Greenback party. 
His place of business is located on North Market 
street, one and one-fourth blocks from the square. 

JB. REDBURN, who is located ou section 32, 
Spring Creek Township, is a fanner and 
stock-raiser. He was born in the State of 
Pennsylvania, May 28, 182G, and is the son 
of James T. and Jemima (Tarley) Rcdburu. He 
came to Iowa in 18.3C, remaining until the f(.>llow- 
ing year, when the father died, and the j'emainder 
of tile family emigrated to the .State of Kansas. 
The subject of tiiis sketch, J. B. Redbiirn, came to 
Mahaska County in the year 1 8G0, locating in Har- 
rison Township, and January 24 of the foUuwing 
year was united in marriage with .Miss .Mary Punk, 
a daughter of Joseph and Jane Funk. By tiiis 



' union there are eight children now living — Willi- 
S., Jennie, Jemima, Fredericka, Charles, Haye>. 
Joseph and Caiy. ^Mabel died in infancy. 

The home farm consists of 1(50 acres of very fer- 
tile land, all under excellent cultivation, andcd 
with the best class of improvements thereon. The i 
dwelling is a commodious and well-arranged brick 
structure, with an ample frame barn and other out' 
buildings to correspond. Mr. Redbiirn is a pro- 
gressive farmer, and keeps himself well advised 
upon all matters pertaining to the business of farm- 
ing and stock-raising that are essential to the 
proper and successful conduct of his business. 
Socially he is a pleasant gentleman, high-minded 
and honorable in his transactions with men, and oc- 
cupies an iqjper place in the regard of his friends j 
and acquaintances. 



-ji| W. WARRINGTON. The oldest estab- 
V@Ol lished photographer and artist in Oskaloosa 
is the gentleman whose name heads this no- 
tice. He established his business there in 
1866, and, with the exception of a few months, has 
been continuously occupied in conducting it. Mr. 
Warrington was born in Damascus, Columbiana 
Co., Ohio, Oct. 9, 1842, aud is a son of John and 
Rachel (Garwood) Warrington. 

Our subject was brought np in his native State, 
attended the common schools, and there developed 
into manhood. When twenty-two years of age, he 
began to learn his trade at Alliance, Ohio, which he 
afterward mastered, and, in 1866, hoping to better 
his financial condition in life, he came to this State 
and count}-, and locating at Oskaloosa, embarked 
in his present business. He has met with success, 
which is attribut;ible to his own business tact and 
good judgment, coupled with his energy and 
economy. 

Mr. Warrington was married, June 27, 1867, at 
Oskaloosa, to Miss Julia, daughter of Daniel Mc- 
Michael. She was born in Indiana, and the issue 
of their union is a daughter — Jessie E. ilr. ^Var- 
rington is a member of the Masonic fraternity and 
belongs to Hiram Chapter No. 6. In politics he is 
a Republican aud, owning as he does, the leading 




a 





iKxnimimr 




M 


X-XJ TT«»»w^>»i»-r«yTTrrT»iii n 




iiiiijirfjiiii 













xxiixizn^z: 



lEKlllXJZ: 



n^^Hatfc^z 



■ TtTTttrt-ir 




yt llltHIl . tllTTT ItHIIIIIlIHIll- 



^flFrflnrrrirtxiiiixiJiTrTri'irTmrriJ'* 



•244 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



Pi 

m 

I 



I 



tj.1 photographic gallery in Oskaloosa, anri treating all 
n customers with that gentlemanh' welcome which is 
Ro his leading characteristic, he has established a repu- 
tation second to none in that thriving little city. 

«>J— 4^ o<ssHillil»>-5*!'0 *— 5-«» 



OHN H. 8H0EMAKE, deceased, was a pio- 
neer of Mahaska County, coming here before 
Oskaloosa was laid out, and was born in 

Smith County. Tenn. He was a son of 

Michael and Judy .Shoemake, and was reared a 
farmer's boy. Developing into manhood, he en- 
hr w^ gaged in merchandising at Carthage, Tenn., whence 
[} ^ he removed to Collinsville, 111., where he engaged 
W^ in the mercantile business, and was there united in 
ij marriage with Miss Betsy McQuain. He came 
jl from the latter place to Mahaska Count}' and took 
p up land, and when Oskaloosa was started engaged 
in the dry-goods, hardware and grain business, and 
t Dj was also a dealer in live stock. 

W ''' Mr. Shoemake was the first Democrat to be 
elected Countj^ Treasurer and Recorder of Mahaska 
County, his election occurring in August, 1857, 

f- and continuing until August, 1860. He continued 
an active business man of Oskaloosa until his 
demise, in November, 1859. He was a whole- 
souled, genial gentleman, who had the happy fac- 
ulty t)f making and retaining friends, and was one 
of the popular men of his party in the county, and 
at the date of his demise left a wife and two chil- 
dren. Socially he belonged to the Masonic frater- 
nity, and was also a member of the I. O. O. F. 



M 






1 



hd 




w 




ILLIS S. KEDBURN, of Spring Creek 
Township, is a farmer residing on section 
32. He is a native of this county, in which 
he was born Dec. 3, 18(31, and is the son of Joseph 
B. and Mary A. (Funk) Kedburn, for Inography of 
whom see elsewhere. Willis S. Redburn was reared 
upon his father's farm, and early learned to per- 
form his part of the daily work. Until of age, he 
attended the common district schools a few months 
in each .year, and then attended Oskaloosa College 
x3for two years. He is a .young man of considerable 





natural ability, which, supplemented by a good 
English education, and a determination to succeed, 
indicate that he will yet occupy a prominent posi- 
tion in society. 

The subject of this sketch was niaii'ieil, .Ian. 21, 
1886, to Miss Flora E. Higgason. born in Thorn- 
town, Ind.. July 9, 1867, and a daughter of W. T. 
and Martiia C. (Evans) Higgason, the former a na- 
tive of Greene County, K3'., born Ma.y 11, 1828, 
and the latter of Harrison County, Ind., born Dec. 
11, 1829. Her mother died .Tan. 22, 1(S81, and her 
father is now living in Indian;ii)olis, Ind. 



RTHUR C. ^A'ILKIXS. physician and sur- 
geon at Oskaloosa, was born in Roane 
County, Tenn.. Aug. 20, 1841. He was 
in the senior class at the State University 
when the late war broke out, and the business of 
the institution was suspended. In IsC'! he came to 
this State and located in Washington Couut.y. He 
took a regular course at the College of Physicians 
and Surgeons at Keokuk, and graduated from that 
institution in the class of 1865. Entering at once 
upon the practice of his profession at Siguurney, he 
continued there until 1870, when he went to Lex- 
ington, this State, and was there engaged in prac 
tice until 1880. During the latter 3ear our sub- 
ject came to Oskaloosa, and foimed a partner- 
ship with Dr. D. A. Hurst, which connection con- 
tinued four 3'ears, and since the dissolution of the 
partnership Dr. Wilkins has continued in practice 
alone, meeting with signal success. 

Dr. Wilkins was married at Ft. Wayne, Ind., Jan. 
26, 1876, to Miss Almira L. Briggs, daughter of 
Jesse and Rebecca Briggs. Mrs. Wilkins was born 
at Ft. Wayne, and of her union with our subject 
four children w^ere born, two sons and two daugh- 
ters, who have been named Emerson C, Fred Mar- 
cellus, Jessie Blanche and Clara Maude. Dr. Wil- 
kins is a Knight Templar and likewise a member of 
various Masonic bodies. He stands at the head of 
his profession in this section of Iowa, and is known 
as a thoi'ough student, not only in his profession, 
but in the school of history, natural science and 
literature. He is a gentleman of broad views, a 



fiieeeea 




h7g?TfHl 



ISi-'Hririrl 



irriinxiiiTT I 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



245 



^ ~ 

^: deep thinker, close veasoner, and follows with keen 

|-^ atteutiou the discoveries and developments in med- 
ical science. His success in his profession has been 
e| flattering, and he is rapidly building u[) an exten- 
ts sive practice. 



1 



Kansas being in the Indian Department, and the 
liE jurisdiction of the Superintendent for whom he was 

working embracing the Indians of Kansas and la- 
^t dian Territory. He acted in the capacity- of clerk 
ifl until 187G, when he became agent of the Govern- 
irS ment, having jurisdiction over the Osage Indians, 
fl and held tiiat position until July, 1878. In 1883 



^S^ YRUS liKKDK. Secretary of the Iowa Life 



jj. ||i and Endowment Association, and residing 

I ^^^ at Oskaloosa, was born in Carroll County, 
N. H.. Nov. 28, 1828. He is the son of Stephen and 
Caroline (Dame) Beede, of the Society of Friends, 
his parents and grandparents on both sides having 
belonged to the same society. The Beede family 
were of English and Scotch descent, and residents 
of this country for several generations. 

Our subject was educated in a common school, 
which was supplemented by an academical course 
in what was called the Friends' Boarding School, of 
}jfi Providence, R. I. His earl_v life was passed on the 
farm in his n-itive State, and on arriving at the age 
^ of maturity, and having received a good education, 
he eng.aged in the duties of a pedagogue, which he 
followed in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New 
Jersej' and Iowa. In 1 852 he came to Iowa, and 
purchased a farm one mile north of Oskaloosa, which 
propert}' he still owns. Returning to New England 
he engaged in the mrvnufacture of oil carpet for a 
}il time, and then in 1856, went to Minneapolis, Minn., 
'' where he embarked in banking and real estate, and 
S was thus occupied until 18130. In the spring of 
5 that j'^ear he came back to Oskaloosa, and has made 
J this his home until the present time. Mr. Beede 
E was the first Cashier of the First National Bank of 
i Oskaloosa, and was one of the incorporators of the 
J;; same. In 1870 he engaged in the service of the 
1 I Government as Chief Clerk of the Central Indian 
'_i Superinteudeucy, with headquarters at Lawrence, 



Mr. Beede was appointed Special Indian Agent, 
and visited all the agencies in Washington Terri- 
tory, and man3' in Oregon, Nevada, Montana, Idaho 
and Dakota Territories, and also in Florida. He ter- 
minated his service with the Government July 20, 
1885, receiving a statement of full and final settle- 
ment. 

Mr. Beede was one of the very few Indian 
agents whose accounts at the time of final settle- 
ment were in such a condition as to warrant the 
Government in settling according to their figures. 
They were absolutely correct. He was regarded by 
those high in authority as one of the most efficient 
Indian agents in the service. His superior knowl- 
edge and- skill in Indian affairs and accounts have 
been frequently called in i-equisition by Indian 
agents in making settlements with the Government. 

Jan. 1, 1886, Mr. Beede accepted his appoint- 
ment as Secretary of the Iowa Life Endowment As- 
sociation, and has continued to hold that position 
until the present time. He was married near Os- 
kaloosa, in Quaker style, July 8, 1858, to Miss 
Martha Pickrell, daughter of William P. and Mary 
Pickrell, of the Society of Friends. One child, 
jNIar}' C, has been born of their union. .She is the 
wife of R. W. Clayton, and they reside in Omaha, 
Neb.; they have one daughter, Mattie H. Mr. 
Beede was President of the City Council of Minne- 
apolis in I860, and has also been a member of the 
Cit3' Council of Oskaloosa. He is one of the lead- 
ing members of the Friends' Church, in Iowa, is a 
man of large experience, a close observer, and pos- 
sessed of very much more than ordinary ability. 

L5IER D. GERARD, of Garfield Township, 
was born in Mahaska County, Iowa, Aug. 
25, 1859, and is a son of Edward and IMar- 
garet L. (Pugh) Gerard, for biograjjh}' of whom 
see elsewhere in this volume. Elmer was raised on 
the farm where he now lives, and was married, Nov. 
3, 1881, to Miss Rosa Hofif, who was born in Van 
Buren County, Iowa, Jan. 7, 1864, and is a daugh- 
ter of Zebulon Iloff, of this county. He was born 
in Alleghany County, Md., May 19, 1835, came to 
A'an Buren Count}'. Iowa, in 1854, and in 1856 




m 

Ehhhki 



fi >-/•■; 



1, iJ 



fi 
1 



I 



P 

1 



m^ 



Pi 



i 






1 

i 

I 

mm 



IMIU 






si; 



EwtitiIqI 




??=»WB 



m 





XXI I iixi luxtxxxoraixxjt tmi -■ 



rrnxmmrxirmxxiiinxxrxi ■- 



246 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



was married lo Miss Clariiicla Jackson, a native of 
JMuskiugum County, Ohio, who was born in Dres- 
den, Feb. 18, 1841. Mr. Iloff was licensed to 
preach by the Jlethodist Protestant Church in 1850. 
He was a sohlier iu the war of the Rebellion, serv- 
ing through the entire war in Co. C, 1.5th Iowa \o\. 
Inf., and dj'ing at his home in Des Moines Town- 
ship, Maj' 7, 188G, leaving a wife and Ave children. 
To Mr. and Mrs. Gerard have been born two chil- 
dren — Harrj- and Ernest. 

Mr. Gerard owns fort}- acres of improved land, 
and is engaged in farming in the summer season 
and teaching school in the winter. He has taught 
the same school f(_)r several successive terms, and 
is verj' popular and thorough in that profession. 
He is a member of the Iowa Teachers' Reading- 
Circle, which has its headquarters at Des Moines. 
Each County Superintendent has charge of the 
members of the club in his county, which meets 
annually, when a line of reading is prescribed fcir 
the coming 3'ear. This is continued for four years, 
at the end of which time those who have mastered 
the course receive a diploma as an evidence of pro- 
ficiency in that respect. Mr. Gerard has been a 
member of the School Board in his district six years. 
In 1886 he was a candidate for Township Clerk on 
the joint Democi'atic and Greenback ticket. j)olling 
a larger number of votes than any man on the 
ticket. 



^ AMES A. SEEVERS. In the days of slavery 
there were many Southerners, who, although 
In-oiight up in familiarity with that peculiar 
institution, yet felt that the.y could not con- 
scientiously give it support or encouragement; 
hence it was that in the settlement of the great 
Northwest many of the old slave-holding families 
of the South followed the tide of emigration and 
did their part in establishing and upbuilding a freer 
and a healthier civilization. The subject of this 
sketch was a member of such a family. He was 
born in Jefferson County', Va., ^larch (>, 18;52, and 
iu 1842 came to Iowa with his father, James See- 
vers, who left hiui in school at Burlington, while he 
with the rest of the family came to Mahaska 
County. Young James' longing for _the western 







home he had never 5een, combined with the fever 
of immigration of which he had had a taste, proved 
stronger than his love for school, and accordingly 
he left Burlington without leave and walked to the 
(_)skaloosa of that daj'. of which the main business 
buildings ivere a log IJacksmith-shop and grocery 
store. In 18.53, Mr. Seevers. having studied law 
with his brother. Judge William H. Seevers, was 
admitted to the liar and soon after formed a part- 
nership with Judge J. A. L. Crookham. In 1856 
he was elected County Attorney, and dissolving 
his connection with Judge Crookh.am, formed a 
partnership with his brotiier .and Hon. M. T. Will- 
iams, with whom he continued in business until 
the outbreak of the Civil War. 

:May 29, 1855, Mr. Seevers m.arried Miss Mary 
Collins. She was the eldest daughter of one of 
Marion County's first pioneers, and still resides 
with her family in Oskaloosa. Three sons were 
born to them — Charles A.. Albert Collins and James 
E. — the second of whom died in infancy ; and one 
daughter, Eva, who is still living. 

Mr. Seevers was a strong adherent to the politi- 
cal faith of Stephen A. Douglas, and during the 
stormj' period preceding the war took an active part 
in the affairs of the Democratic party. When in 
1861 all hopes of a peaceful settlement of tiie dif- 
ficulties between the North and South were aban- 
doned, Mr. Seevers espoused without hesitanc3' the 
cause of the Union, and a.ssisted in organizing a 
compau}' of volunteers, largely composed of men 
of his own political faith. In October, 1861, he 
was elected Captain of Company C, loth Iowa 
Regiment, and spent tiie winter of 1861-62 in 
quarters at Keokuk, Iowa. Capt. Seevers took 
|iart with his company in the battles of Shiloh and 
Corinth, and in the smaller affairs of luka and 
Boliver, suft'ering a loss in the first two engagements 
of five men killed and twenty-t)ne wounded. In both 
battles Capt. Seevers received honorable mention 
for gallantry in action. The loth Iowa arrived at 
Shiloh, by steamer, on the morning of the first d.ay 
of that battle, and as the men marched to the front 
with bright guns and new uniforms the}' were taken 
by the retreating Federals for regular troops. In 
an hour the 15th Iowa was also slowly retreating 
before the impetuous advance of the confederates. 



■ (TTHTTII 



liJHblr'eM 



g ,i xilimxirii : m iiii- 






TT-TT T-TTTil 



HHK 



eg 



• pfpiyy^er i 






::gcq q xxTTTT nr mi300Ea i t \» fev" 



i 



v3 



'S 



1^1 



=18 



i!S 



I 

li 

i: 
i; 

I 
I 



ra 



UiB 



i; 

I J 
r 
i; 

I 
I 

i 

i 

l:lB 

li 



In a forced march through heav\' tiinl)er from Cor- 
inth to liranil .hmctioii, Capt. Scevers fell, and re- 
ceived injuries in tiie side, which obliged him to re- 
sign his commission. 

On returning- from the army the Captain re-en- 
gaged in the jiractice of law, as much as his im- 
paired health would iiermit. Hut the injuries he 
had received caused the formation of a tumor, 
which, growing continually worse, caused his death 
Nov. 5, 1865, at the age of thirty-three years, 
when it might truly be said he was only fairly com- 
mencing life. He was once a candidate for the 
Legislature on the Democratic ticket, but was not 
successful. He canvassed the county for his party, 
and as a public speaker was a fluent one, and a man 
of much influence in the counsels of his party. 



V|[ AME.S A. STEUART is a farmer and stock- 
raiser, residing on section 4, AVhite Oak 
Township. He was born in Logan County, 
Ohio, Kov. 20, 1831, and is the son of 
James and Elizabeth (Hanger) Steuart. The first- 
named was of Scotch-Irish parentage, and a cov- 
erlet weaver in the old country. He departed this 
life in Ohio in 1847, and his wife died at the old 
home place in that State, in 1885, at the advanced 
age of seventy-three j'ears. She was of German 
origin. Her grandfather Hanger was a soldier dur- 
ing the War of the Revolution. 

The subject of this sketch, James A. .steuart, was 
married, Julj' 4, 1852, to Vicena lloll}', and by 
this union there was one child, who died in infanc)- ; 
the mother died April 27, 1853. In April, 1854, 
Mr. Steuart was again married, Mary Jane Harris 
becoming his wife, and to them eight children have 
been born: William S., born Feb. 2, 1855, died 
Feb. 25, 1885; Uretta, born Maj' 30, 1856, is now 
deceased ; Henry H. and Elmore are also deceased ; 
Elizabeth A., born Feb. 1, 1864; Cora A., born 
Dec. 25, 1866, is the wife of Louis Wymore, and 
lives in Monroe Township; Emma, born Dec. 17, 
1871; Arthur and Lona are deceased. The mother 
of these children died April 27, 1876. and is buried 
in this township. In 1877 Mr. Steuart chose as his 
third wife JIary L. Fostei-, and by this marriage 




MAHASKA COUNTY 



there were two chililrcn: Lewis, born Nov. 14, 
1.S78, and one who died in infancy. The mother 
of these last-named children died May 19, 1880 
and is buried in this township. 



Mr. Steuart came to Iowa from Ohio in 1851,5?, 




Politically he is a "t 




1^1 



and bought his present farm 

Republican, has represented his township on thet 
County" Board of Supervisors, under the old law, 
and has held nearly all the various offices in the 
township where he resides. He is a member of the lUj 
Masonic fraternity. Mr. Steuart owns 280 acres of ill^ 
fine, fertile land, all under fence ami in a very high 
state of cultivation, .'uid with improvements of the 
best character. Upon the farm arc four dwellings, 
three of them occupied by tenants. In addition 
to his occupation of general farming he turns his 
attention to the breeding of Short-horn cattle, 
Clj'desdale and Norman horses and Poland-China 
hogs, and has some very fine representatives of 
these various animals from the best families in the 
country. Ho is handling his business ver}' success 
full}' and prolit;il)l3-. In his business relations 
is always found to be a man of strict integrity, 
honoralile and fair in his deali)igs, doing unto 
others .'IS he would they should do unto him, and ^ 
thus merits and receives the apjircival of friends 
and acquaintances. 



1 



ccess- ¥ Dj' 
ns he ,W W. 



--€-*^- 



-^ 



late editor of the 
vas liorn in Fayette 



\jp^,ELSON D. PORTER. 

I jjl Oskaloosa Union, was liorn in Fayette W 

'^Mi County, Pa.. Jan. 23, 1838, and is a son of ^^ 

David .Porter. He was educated in the common 'li?^ 

schools and at Waynesburg College. Pennsj-lvania. 

and graduated therefrom with honors in the class 

of 1860. In 1862 Mr. Porter was ordained a min- ihi ra 

lliaial ! 
isterof the Presbyterian Church, in Fayette Count}-, *--- - •--' 

and served as Pastor in Brownsville and in Jefl'er- 
son County, that State. He was then Pastor of the 
LTnion Congregational and Presbyteria)! Churches 
in Erie Count}', Ohio, and then of the First Con- 
gregational Church of Carroll, Carroll County, this 
State. In October. 1875, Mr. Porter came to 
Oskaloosa and assumed the management of the 
Oskaloosa Standard, which position he held for ten 
years. In .lanuary. 1886, he became editor of the 




cizxriixnTH 



SI::. 



Si 



nssii' 



3^ 



m 



ff 







248 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 




Oskaloosa Union, which was the outgrowth of a 
consolidation of the Standard and Messenger, and 
wliich position he held until September, 1886. It 
is a spicy little paper, Democratic in politics, and 
always found upon the side of morality, and advo- 
cating every just cause for the development and 
the improvement of tlie country and the elevation 
of mankind. 

.Mr. Porter was married in Pittsburgh, I'a., .lune 
2, 1804, to Miss Sallie A., daughter of Capt. Elisha 
Bennett. She bore him two children, both of 
whom are deceased, and her demise took place in 
Chicago, 111., Dee. 22, 18(17. ^Ir. Porter was a 
second time married. Aug. 4, isd'.l, to Jliss Anna 
P., daughter of Capt. J. W. Grover, of Cleveland, 
Ohio. The issue of the latter union is five chil- 
dren. The record is as follows: Harry S., born 
Sept. lis, 1870, and died aged fifteen years; Chris 
C, l)orn Dec. 24, 1872; Fred N., April 13, 1875; 
Ada M., Oct. 1, 1S77, and Nellie M., May 1, 1880. 
Mr. Porter is a member of tlie Jlasonic fraternity 
and also of tlie G. A. R., belonging to Phil Kearney 
Post. He was a soldier in the late war, having en- 
listed in 1863, and served three months as Chaplain 
of the .')8th Pennsylvania Infantrv. 



mm 



E. SEEVERS, attorney at law, of Oskaloosa, 
was born in this city May 10, 1862, and is a 
son of James A. Seevers, late Cai)tain of 
(,?^ Co. C, 1.5th Iowa Vol. Inf. (now deceased), 
and Mary (Collins) Seevers. James A. Seevers 
was a native of Virginia, and his wife of Indiana. 
He came to tliis county about the year 1846. The 
subject of tiiis sketch received his education in the 
public schools of Oskaloosa and at Oskaloosa Col- 
lege. When twenty-one years of age he entered 
the law office of Hon. John F. Lacey, where he re- 
mained as a student for two years, and was ad- 
mitted to the i)ractice of the law by the Supreme 
Court of Iowa at its December session in the year 
1885 .at Des Moines. In the spring of 1886 he 
commenced the practice of law in Oskaloosa. In 
politics Mr. Seevei-s is a stanch Democrat, and cast 
his first presidential vote for Grover Cleveland. 



r^r'HHHHHHHr'r'r' k'?^ 






He is a member of the Iowa National Guard, and |;[ 
Orderly Sergeant of Company F, Third Regiment. |:| 
of that organization. He is a young man of sterl- 
ing qualities, good morals and tine ability, and gives 
promise in the near future of making his mark in 3t 
the profession he has chosen. 



•~v .-Niijiiia^lg-K-g 



|->*^^^3^^i' <5 *^ -vx^/v 



J: 



G. JONES, of Garfield Township, is a na- 
tive of South AVales, where he was lK)rn 
Nov. 20, 1828, and is a sou of William G. 
and Elizabeth (Thomas) Jones, natives of 
that country. They came to America in 1840, set- 
tling in Luzerne Countj', Pa., and later on Mr. J; 
Jones came to Johnson County, Iowa, where he ii 
died in 1859, aged fifty-two j'ears. his wife having ^ 
died in Wales when the subject of this sketch was 
two years old. 

Mr. Jones followed his parents to America, ar- 
riving Aug. 7, 1845, and locating in Luzerne 
County, Pa., where foi- eight j'ears he was engaged 
in the coal business, as a contractor. He then went 
to California, where for two years and eight months 
he operated a gold mine and was successful finan- 
cialh' in this enterprise. After leaving California i^ti 
he returned to Pennsylvania, where he remained a 
short time, and in August, 1857, came to this 
count}', where he has since been engaged, the greater 
portion of the time in farming and mining. He 
was one of the projectors of the Iowa Coal Com- 
pany, which operated extensively under his super- 
vision in 1868 and 1869. He was for several j-ears J 
engaged in mercantile business at Beacon, and was 
Postmaster there during that time. He is also ~\ 
largel}' interested in Colorado coal lands, and at I'z^ 
one time was interested in 3,300 acres of coal land, J 
with a company oi-ganized to work them. ; 

Mr. Jones was married, Jan. 1, 1856, at Hyde : 
Park, Pa., to Miss ^Margaret Jones, a native of : 
Wales. The}' are the parents of six children : Sa- : 
rah A., wife of Thom.as S. Ingles, at Hollister, Cal. ; J^ 
Elizabeth, wife of Dr. Joseph Bevan, of Oskaloosa; 
William G., an attorne3'-at-law, at Oskaloosa; 
Emma, Winifred and John, at home. The home 
farm consists of 100 acres of well-improved laud. 
Mr. Jones is a member of the I. 0. O. F. and A. F, 






wm 



riTTTlniTTrilTTTlKXTl^I II 



tiicUijJcia 



-.1, .^.==^_ ,t1 










MAHASKA COUNTY 



& A. "SI. lie was one of the [irincipal men nf tlie 
town of Be.aeon in its palmy (lajs, when the coal 
mines were in fnll operation at that point, the old 
Roop Mill and distillery being operated, when it 
had several extensive business honses and when it 
was the depot for the shipment of all our products, 
grain and stock, and at which point all the merchan- 
dise for ( tskaloosa was received ; in fact, when it i 
was the railroad station of the countj'. 



FiS 



^fl DAM FOEHLINGER, one of the early set- 
(^^1 tiers of Oskaloosa, was born in Klicnish 

]//lii Prussia, near the river Rhine, Aug. .'), 18 Hi. 
(^ Here he remained until he was fifteen years 

of age, receiving a liberal education, lie was then 
apprenticed to the trade of fancy turning for 
three years, receiving his board, but giving |80 and 
three years' work for the privilege of learning the 
trade. When he had finished his time he went to a 
large city in search of work, but found he was not 
up with the times, and worked one 3-ear for SI per 
week and his board. He then went to Olierstein, 
a hilly country, and the mountains filled with agates. 
Here he followed his trade, turning out the fixtures 
to watches, and jewelry of all kinds, for a short 
time, then traveled extensively over Germany as 
journeyman turner, stopping eventually at Berlin, 
where he was engaged for several years at his trade. 

Mr. Foehlinger was married in his native town, 
April 10. 1S42, to Katarina Klotz, by whom he has 
had four children, born in German}', viz. : Adolph, 
a machinist residing in St. Paul, Minn. ; Henry, of 
Burlington, Iowa; Matilda was the wife of William 
Harbach, and died in lb74; Charles is a salesman 
with J. B. McCurd}^ & Co., Oskaloosa. One child 
died in infancy. In 1853 Mr. Foehlinger left his 
native country and crossed the ocean in a sailing 
vessel, which occupied forty-eight days in making 
the trip. He landed in New York, where he re- 
mained one J- ear. In 1854 he came to Chicago, 
and was employed for two years in the McCorraiek 
Reaper and Mower Factor}-. In 1850 James 
Fletcher, of Oskaloosa, went to Chicago, .and hired 
several men to come to Oskaloosa and work at cab- 
inet-making, and Mr. Foehlinger came along with 



them. Mrs. Foehlinger died in 1870. She was rin 
acceptable member of the Congregational Church. 

Our subject was again married, in the fall of 
l.'s72. to Miss Kate Wachter, who was born in I'lin. 
(iermanj', Nov. 17, 18;3'J. In 1809 she came to 
America, all alone, a stranger in a strange land. 
When a young girl, after the death of her parents, 
she went to Switzerland. She then made her way 
to England, where she remained four years as gov- 
erness in the family of a clergyman. In May, 1869, 
she landed in New York, and having letters of in- 
troduction to one of the first families of that city, 
succeeded in obtaining a situation as governess in 
the fainil}- of .John (imsbeck, who was residing in 
the Fifth Avenue Hotel, and was one of the leading 
families of New York Citj'. Here she remained one 
and a half years, spending one summer with the 
famil}' at Newport. From New York she went to 
Chicago, where she was emploj'ed as governess in 
the family of H. O. Stone, a wealth}^ resident of that 
city. After the great fire she went to Des JNIoiues, 
Iowa, and served as governess in the family of B. F. 
Allen, banker, and from thence to Oskaloosa ; she still 
gives private lessons in German. She has become the 
mother of two children: Grace, born March 8, 1874, 
and Rena, Feb. 4, 187(i. The family are nicmljers 
of the Congregational Church. 

Politicallj- Mr. Foehlinger is a Democrat of the 
liberal school. He is also a member of the I. 0. O. 
F., and has held all the principal offices in the Sub- 
ordinate Lodge and Encampment; twelve successive 
years he represented his district in the Grand Lodge 
of the State of Iowa. He is also a member of the 
Improved Order of Red Men and the Knights of 
the Golden Eagle, also of the Rebecca Lodge, and 
is at present Treasurer of all f(jur. 



cf>ilil 



I UN: 

1 Mc' 



-JS^' 




^ 



ill 



W W_ 



mq 



wn' 



id 



mm 

I r 



m 



I 



p. COVEY is the owner of eight}- acres of 
well-improved land on section 3, Des Moines 
Township. He was born in Broome County, 
N. Y., March 2-2, 1817. and is a son of 
Daniel and Phanella (Burget) Covey, both natives 
of the same State. His father was an intelligent 
man, a member of the Universalist Church, and 
died in 1855, aged seventy-two years; his mother 













S»i?5T5 







•250 



iog 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 




■TO! 
iai!ixm i 



'xirixTxzn.ruji3urmtitiiin- P^~^ ■ 



!«''r»-TT-T-w»n.Ti ^ IT-rmrTTTyT TTTT T'' 



died in 1851, at the age of sixty-nine years. The 
subject of our sketch was reared upon a farm and 
educated in the common schools of his native State, 
wliere he remained until 1847. when he followed 
the advice of the lamented Greeley, to go West, 
and came to Mahaska County, and located on sec- 
tion 4. Des Moines Township, where he lived six 
years and improved a good farm. He then moved 
to section 10, where he lived seven years, and then 
purchased his present farm on section 3, where he 
has since resided. 

Mr. Covey was married, in 1845, to Helpy Eg- 
gleston, daughter of Orlander and Mary Eggleston. 
Three children were born to them, all of whom are 
now living: Charlotte, wife of A. T. Plum, of Des 
Moines Township; Daniel M. and Alice, who re- 
side at home. While never learning the trade, Mr. 
Covey has followed carpentering to some extent. 
He has never been what might be termed an active 
politician, and, above all, has never been an office- 
seeker, though he has served two terms as Consta- 
ble of his township. In his old age he is endeavor- 
ing to live a quiet and peaceful life, enjoying the 
respect and esteem of all who know him. 








1 




A. PAINE. The well-known business firm 
of A. A. Paine <k Co., dealers in flour and 
fruit at Oskaloosa, was established by 
James Mattison, in 1876, and the present 
of which our subject is the head, was formed 
1, 1884. It has attained a prominence in the 
business circles of Oskaloosa bj- fair and houest 
dealing with its customers, and does an annual 
business of about $80,000. It is the only exclusive 
wholesale house in its line in the cit}', and the firm 
is composed of men well Icnown for tlieir business 
tact and energy, as well as for their integrity'. 

A. A. Paine, head of the above-named firm, 
came to Mahaska County in 1868. He was born in 
Attleboro, Mass., April 25. 1851, and is a son of 
Caleb and Elizabeth H. (Meader) Paine. His 
father was born in Attleboro, as likewise his grand- 
father. Our subject's mother was born in New 
Hampshire, and her parents were natives of Maine, 



both families lieiug old established New England 
people. When three years of age IMr. Paine went 
with his parents to Kociv Inland, aud ou attaining 
the age of sixteen years came to Oskaloosa. this 
county. His education was received in Franklin 
College, New Athens, Ohio, and at Uslvaloosa Col- 
lege. He was engaged in farming and raising 
blooded stock in this count}* until 1876, when he 
engaged in clerking, and was thus occupied until 
the formation of the present firm, since which he 
has been energeticallj- engaged in furthering its in- 
terests. 

Mr. Paine was married. May 30, 1883, in this 
city, to Miss Lizzie Janney, daughter of J. M. and 
Mary E. Janney. She was born in Oskaloosa. Re- 
ligiously our subject is a believer in the Qualver's 
faith, and his wife belongs to the Congregational 
Church. Soeiallj' he is a member of the I. O. O. F., 
Lodge No. 128, and also a member of K. of 
Lodge No. 58, and also Division No. 15 U. 
K. of P. 

m 



3S' 



I 



P. 

R., 



3:1 



Auar. 



^OHN N. KINSMAN, of Harrison Township, |J 
station agent at Cedar, is a dealer in lumber tlj 
and engaged in lni}'ing and shipping gi-ain. A' 
He was born in the State of New York, si 
13, 1820, and is a son of Melitiah and Rhoda 5. 
(Wright) Kinsman, the former a native of Nova Z' 
Scotia and the latter of Connecticut. Melitiah J 
Kinsman died ni the State of Pennsylvania, in the s 
year 1826, and his widow came to Iowa in 1844, ;; 
and lived in this county until her death, which oc- 5' 
curred in 1870. ;j 

The subject of this sketch, John N. Kinsman, 
came to Iowa from the State of Penns3'lvauia in 
the year 1840, locating in Washington Count}', and 
purchasing the land upon which a portion of the 
town of Brighton, in that county, is now situated. 
In the year 1841 he began the study of medicine, 
but in the spring of 1842 accejited the appoint- 
ment of Deputy Sheriff of that county, under 
Sheriff Stone, retaining the position four 3'ears, and 
during that time residing in the town of AVashing- 
ton. Until its organization Mahaska County was 
attached to Washington for judicial purposes. At 
the expiration of the four years last mentioned he iS^ 



eSHSHHSS^SH^gll^ 







accepted the position as Clerk of the Court for 
Jasper County, Iowa. Among the other duties of 
the Clerk of said court was that of establishing' the 
county seat of different counties, conducting elec- 
tions, etc. In the fall of that year, at the general 
election, he was chosen a member of the lirst State 
Legislature of Iowa, from a district embracing the 
counties of Jasper, JSIarion and Polk. During this 
time steps were taken for the removal of the State 
capital from Iowa Citj' to Des Moines. At the ex- 
piration of his term of office, in the year 1847, he 
came to Oskaloosn, Iowa, engaged in hotel business, 
which he followed for four years, at a time when 
Frink, AValker & Co. run stages from Keokuk to 
Des Moines, and until 1850, when he was elected 
Sheriff of Mahaska County, holding the position 
for two 3'ear.s. About this time his health began 
to fail, and he retired from active business for a 
period of one 3"ear, and until the year 1853, when 
he began the erection of Union Block in Oskaloosa, 
finishing it during the same year. In the j'ear 
1860, b\- reason of the death of John H. Shoemake, 
then Treasurer of the count}', he was appointed to 
fill the unexpired term of that office, and at the 
general election in the fall was chosen Treasurer 
and Recorder of Mahaska County, filling that posi- 
tion until the year 18G2. At the expiration of his 
term of office he moved cmto his farm in Wlute 
Oak Township, this county, the change of location 
being made necessary' bj' the enlistment of his son- 
in-law, George S. Carson, as a soldier in the ITnion 
army, George up to tliat time having had cliarge 
of the farm. Here he remained until tlie yeai- 
1882, when he came to his present home in Harri- 
son Townshii), near Cedar Station. 
1^ Mr. Kinsman was married in Pennsylvania, Ai)ril 
i:il3, 1844, to Miss Lydia M. Birchard, who was 
lijborn in Pennsylvania, Dec. 10, 1817, and who 
liiwas a daughter of Pliny and Martha (Griffis) 
i: ! Birchard. B3' this union there were four children, 
ii:as follows: Martha E., born March 20, 184(j, and 
1 35 the wife of (ieorge S. Carson, residing in this 
1 3; county; Sarah A., born Feb. 23, 18o2, is the wife 
ilj: of Taylor (ilasg(^w, and living in Kansas; IMary L., 
lai born Aug. 5, 1854, is the wife of Josei)h Endicott. 
i|:who resides in Cedar; Plinj- M., born April 11, 
i| 1856, W!is married to Vandalia Driver. Feb. 10, 



1876, now deceased, and again married to Miss 
Sarah Stone, in March. 1883, and resides in White 
Oak Township. 

Mr. and Mrs. Kinsman are members of the 
Cuml)erland Presbyterian Church. He is a mem- 
ber of the I. O. O. F., and in his political affilia- 
tions is a Republican. Mr. Kinsman at his present 
home owns a good residence, and the elevator 
buildings at the station of Cedar. Being situated 
in the midst of a ver_v productive section of the 
county, his duties as railroad agent, combined with 
his business as grain buyer and lumber dealer, 
keep his time pretty well occupied, and he finds 
the business pleasant and remunerative. Mr. 
Kinsman is among tlie pioneer settlers of the 
count}', being well known throughout its borders, 
and is universally resiieoted and esteemed by all 
our people. 



^->I<-p- 



-^ 



H?l 



^=5»^IDE0N B. McFALL, Jr., of the firm of 
(I I g— , McFall ife Jones, attorneys, at Oskaloosa, 
^^^jl was born in Fremont, Mahaska Co., Iowa, 
Aug. 3, 18G1. He is a son of (Jideon B. and 
Mary (Newsom) McFall, natives of Indiana, who 
came to this State and county in 1845, locating at 
Fremont. 

Our subject received his education in the com- 
mon schools, supplementing the same by a course 
at Oskaloosa College, and afterward took a law 
course in the State University of Iowa, at which 
place he graduated June 19, 1884, and began 
practice at Oskaloosa Sept. 11, 1884. He formed 
a partnership with William B. Jones in Februar}', 
1885, under the firm name of McFall & Jcmes, 
which still exists, and which, for proficiency in 
matters of jurisprudence, stands exceedingly well 
in the county. 

In politics Mr. McFall votes with the Democratic 
party. Socially he is a member of tbe Masonic 
fraternit}', belonging to Toleration Lodge No. 236, 
Fremont. The parents of Mr. McFall still reside 
at Fremont, where his father is engaged in the 
lumber business. 

Our subject holds the position of lecturer on 
commercial law and business forms in the Oska- 



1 



n 



i^IDEON B. McFALL, Jr., of the firm of '^, 



1 



::!i 



1 1 



k 



Mi^ 



raniitxxxraru 



IIIIIlrKTUC 



TTT« gTTrT» rwtr 



"iff m ^"g¥ *TyT wT 



JUtxxx: 

Ijfix ri xKx rixi rxTiTJ XI I rrx mi| 



^„„i£H r:i --'-; ^n? — r . 



Kim 
KiaJjuttm 




loosa Business College. He is Secretary of the Ma- 
haska County Agricultural Society, and also of the 
Oskaloosa Board of Trade. He has a bright future 
before him, and is making rapid strides toward at- 
taining prominence, not only as an attorney, but as 
a gentleman of energy, push and perseverance. 

-^ ^-^ ^^ _ 




„,,RANCIS HUBER, a baker, was born in Ba- 
'-^ den, Germany, Feb. 4, 1804. He is a son 
of Joseph and Theresse Huber, natives of 
Baden. They were the [jarents of four sons, two 
living — Francis, the subject of this sketch, and 
^j Joseph, a resident of California. Francis Huber 
was reared in his native land, receiving a liberal 
education. When eighteen j-ears of age he was ap- 
prenticed to the trade of baker, serving for a 
period of two years and receiving for his services 
only his board. In 1831 he left Germany for 
America, lauding in New York, where he estab- 
lished a bakery, and continued in the business for 
six years. In June, 1837, he removed to and set- 
tled in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, where he purchased 
a farm and remained until 1849, when he came to 
=j^ this city, arriving May 2 of that year. Here he 
started the first bakery in Oskaloosa, which, like the 
town at that time, was on a very small scale. 

Mr. Huber was married in New York City in 
October, 1833, to Miss Christina Englehart, who 
died in that city, Oct. 1, 1834, and he was again 
married, Feb. 17, 1835, to Miss Mary Bachman. 
By this union there were four children, viz.: 
George was born in New York City, Feb. 8, 1836. 
In 1852, when he was sixteen years old, his father 
sent him across the plains with a man from Keokuk, 
who proved a hard master, and he left him at 
Omaha; he was afterward killed by the Indians 
near Muscle Shell, Mo., as was also his wife. Joseph 
S enlisted in the 14th Illinois Infantry with the three 
i! months' men, and re-enlisted in the same regiment 
for three j'ears or during the war. Upon the or- 
ganization of the colored troops b^' the War De- 
i^JEiS partment, he was commissioned Second Lieutenant 
of the 58th United States Colored Regiment, and is 
at present residing at Faj'ette, Miss., and engaged 
in cotton raising. Mary J., deceased, was the wife 




of George Steach. John M. enlisted in the 4th Iowa 
Batter}', which was sent to New Orleans and stationed 
for a time at CarroUton, and afterward at Thibo- 
deaux, La. ; he was mustered out at Davenport, 
Iowa, with his command at the close of their term 
of service. Mrs. Huber died Aug. 4, 1850. She 
was an acceptable member of the Baptist Church, 
and was grcatlj' respected by all who knew her. 
Oct. 29, 1859, Mr. Huber was again married, to 
Mary Ann, widow of Joseph Huber. B3' this union 
there was one child, Frank, now a lesident of Oska- 
loosa. Mrs. Huber died in 1871. 

When Mr. Huber came to this county he was a 
very poor man, and did any and all kinds of work 
whereby he could earn an honest dollar. In his 
earl}' life he w.as an old-line Whig, then a Repub- 
lican, but at the present time a Democrat. At the 
time Black Hawk, the famous Indian chief, was 
taken prisoner, Mr. Huber saw him and also saw 
Gen. Jackson. In 1835 Mr. Huber was initiated as 
an Odd Fellow, in Lodge No. 13, and is probably 
one of the oldest living Odd I'ellows in the State, 
he having affiliated with that order for fifty-one 
years. He is also a member of Oskaloosa Encamp- 
ment No. 16. He is probabl}' the oldest baker in 
the count}' or State. 



(1/ AMILTON LAWSON is a farmer, and re- 
l(\j) sides on section 10, Spring Creek Township. 
i^\^^ He was born in Trumbull County, Ohio, 
K^ Feb. 29, 1840, and is the son of James and 
Jane (Hamilton) Lawson. James Lawson was a 
comb-maker, and was born June 5, 1799, in the 
city of Glasgow, Scotland. His wife was born on 
the 27th of March, 1800, in London. England. 
They came to Canada in the year 1820, remaining 
only a few years, going from thence to New York, 
where they resided for ten or twelve years, thence 
to Huron and Trumbull Counties, Ohio, where they 
resided eight or ten years, going to Pennsylvania, 
in which State they lived until 1856, and then re- 
moved to IMarion County, Iowa, where they staid 
until 1859, when they came to Mahaska County. 
Mrs. Lawson died March 27, 1860. 

Hamilton Lawson was married, Feb. 10, 1864, to 



3^1 



uJ^Hi^frt 



M J' rS ^J r" m 








ify 



IS 
IS 



lirl. 



iJ:; 



tiES 



i;; 

1; 



' gJt^HJ^r'il 



^^Ir^kS , r^AHii^k^ 1 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 




Miss Mary PI AVarner, a daughter of Benton R. 
and Maiy J. (Andrews) Warner. She was born 
JMay 14, 1848. Her father was born in Wiiite 
County, Tenn., Sept. 26, 1818, and liis wife in 
Trumbull County, Ohio, in October, 1822; she died 
5Iay 31, 1850. Mr. Warner was a farmer and 
briekmason, and makes his home with the sul)ject 
<if this sketch. Hamilton Lawson enlisted in Co. 
I, 7th Iowa Vol. Inf., in June, 1861, and went into 
camp at Camp Warren, Burlington, Iowa, imme- 
diately upon enlistment. The regiment was soon 
ordered from Burlington to the vicinity of Iron 
Mountain, Mo., from there to Bird's Point, and 
shortly after fought the battle at Belmont, which 
made them famous. Here Mr. Lawson was severely 
wounded, and in consequence was discharged from 
service Feb. 27, 1862, for which he deservedly re- 
ceived a handsome back pension, and continues to 
receive §8 per month from the Goverment whose fife 
he fought to perpetuate. His father was a member 
of the Greybeard Regiment, Company E, and con- 
tinued with it during its term of service. 

Mr. Lawson owns twenty acres of land which is 
Hiiite well improved, has a good house and other 
buildings thereon, and is quite comfortably fixed 
in life. Politicall}' he is a Greenbacker. There is 
no more hospitable home in .Mahaska Count}' than 
that of Hamilton Lawson, and none where a friend 
is more cordiallj' welcomed or pleasantly enter- 
tained, and he is highly regarded by his friends and 
acquaintances. 

ylLLIAJI G. JONES, of the law firm of 
McFall & Jones, was born in (Jarfield 
Township, Mahaska County, Oct. 22, 1861, 
and is a son of John G. and Margaret (Jones) 
Jones. He was educated in the common schools 
and matriculated at Oskaloosa College, f(,>llowing 
the entire curriculum of that institution and grad- 
uating therefrom with honors in 1882. 

Leaving Oskaloosa College Mr. Jones took a law 
course at the State University of Iowa, and gradu- 
ated therefrom in the class of 1884. In February, 
1885, he formed a partnership with Gid JIcFall in 
the law business, which still exists. In politics !Mr. 



'^ 



Jones votes with the Republican |)arty. The firm nf 
which he is a. member is composed of gentlemen ■ 
young in years, but who have a large amount of ;WH| 
energy and perseverance, and who are destined ffipt 
to make their mark in the years to come. Ther^'7'p; 
parents of Mr. Jones were among the early settU'i ~ 
of :Mahaska County, and are residing in Garfield 
T(jwnship, wliere his father is engaged in agricult- 
ural pursuits. I"'- ' 



i?SBRHSSSSSSSf| 



^?5-rt- 



ON. WILLIAM U. SKKVERS, Judge of the 
Supreme Court of Iowa, one of the early 
pioneers of Mahaska County, is the son of 

i^) James and Re))eeea (Wilkins) Seevers, and 
was born in Shenandoah County, \'a., April 8, 1822. 
He moved to Frederick and Clarke Counties in 
youth, where he began the study of law, and came 
to Oskaloosa June 22, 1S44, and has made this his 
place of residence continuously since. 

Our subject pursued the study of law with Mr. 
Milton T. Peters, and was .admitted to the bar iu 
the District Court of Mahaska County, in 1840, 
and at once entered upon the practice of his pro- 
fession, as a partner of William T. Smith, which 
connection continued until 1852. He was subse- 
quentl}^ associated with his lirother James, in law 
practice, the firm name being William H. and James 
A. Seevers. Several years later Mr. M. T. Williams, 
now deceased, was admitted to the firm, and the 
style changed to Seevers, Williams & Seevers. 
Upon James entering the United States service in 
the late war the firm name was again changed, this 
time to Seevers & Williams. Several years later 
thej' dissolved partnership, and Mr. Seevers became 
associated with Mr. M. E. Cutts, now deceased, 
which connection continued until 1876, when Mr. 
Seevers was elected Judge of the Supreme Court 
of Iowa, and the partnership was dissolved. 

Judge Seevers was elected to the General Assem- 
bly of Iowa in 1847, .and again in 1875, resigning 
in 187G, upon his appointment to the Supreme 
Bench of the State. He was elected and served 
as County Attorney in 1850 and 1851, and in the 
spring of 1852 was chosen Judge of the Third 
Judicial District of Iowa, and served four years. 



1 1 
I I 



1 



PIJ 



ii 



wm 
1,1 

liHlil! 









«iiiTirTTny.iriii. 



. t 1 n I » t I IXIi I 



. f^:"^ ^2H f^^'^ -: - : 










mtXTii mta 



254 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 






Pi 



:i: 



\le has been prominently identified with the educa- 
tional iiitereits of the cit.y, and took an active part 
in the organization of the Iowa Central Railroad 
Company, serving as a member of its Board of Di- 
rectors many years. He was a stockholder in the 
Mahaska County Savings Bank, and also in the Os- 
kaloosa Kalional Bank, and has served two j'ears as 
President of the latter. He took an active interest 
in developing the coal resources of the count}', 
and was a stockholder and director of two local 
coal companies. 

Judge Seevers was married at OsTialoosa, Iowa, 
Feb. 20, 1849, to Miss Caroline M. Lee, daughter 
of Dr. E. G. Lee. Mrs. Seevers is a native of 
Ohio. Seven children have been born of this un- 
ion, two sons and five daughters, five of whom are 
living: Virginia K. married Henr^? L. Briggs, and 
died in 1881, leaving one child, a daughter; Carrie 
A. L. married James C. Fletcher, and lives in the 
town of Fletcher, Sac Co., Iowa; Harry ^V. is 
single, and is connected with the .Seevers Manu- 
facturing Company, of Oskaloosa; Grace is un- 
married and is residing with her parents ; Nell is 
the wife of William H. Kalbach. a hardware mer- 
chant of this city; William II-., Jr., is a student of 
Shattuck College, Fariliault, Minn. All of the 
children were born in Oskaloosa. 

Judge Seevers has been ten years on the Supreme 
Bench of Iowa, during two of which he served as 
Chief Justice. Ripe in the experience of years, i 
possessed of a mind trained in the logic of law, 
and naturally gifted in the power of reaching just 
and legal conclusions, he stands foremost among 
the few notable legal celebrities of the State. 




^ OSEPH MOTLEY, of Oskaloosa, was born in 
North Carolina, in September, 1835. While 
a child his parents emigrated to Tennessee, 
and when about ten years of age, in the 
j'ear 1845, he removed with his parents to Madi- 
son County, 111. Here he grew to manhood, and 
here, in isjs, was married to Alniira Wilson, by 
whom two children were born, both d^'ing in in- 
fancy; the mother died in 1859. In 18G1 Mr 



r^U - rJ - p r^^l^r^V^ - ^ 




Motley enlisted in the 1st Nebraska Regiment, and 
was in the engagement at Cape Girardeau, Fts. 
Henry and Donelson, and Shiloh. He was one of 
the first men to enlist frpm that State, and after 
serving his countr}- two years and eight months, 
was discharged bj' reason of physical disability', 
having lost his eyesight. From a generous govern- 
ment he received a back pension amounting to 
§1,400, and now receives a regular allowance of 814 
per month. 

Mr. Motley's second marriage took place in JMt. 
Pleasant, Iowa, in ISfiO, to Miss Sarah C. Elliott, 
born in Ohio, Sept. 18, 1849, and a daughter of 
Hosea Elliott. By this union there are three chil- 
dren, all living, namely: Charles W., Carrie I. and 
Frank W. 

^RLANDO R. GASKILL, dealer in general 
merchandise at White Oak, this county, was 
born in Clinton County, Ohio, Sept. 19, 
1834, and is the son of Milton S. and Ann Y. 
(Roach) Gaskill, who were probabl}' natives of 
Ohio, and both of whom died in that State. The 
subject of this sketch, O. R. Gaskill, came to this 
count}' from Ohio in the year 1852, and followed 
the occupation of blacksi.nthing until the year 
18G1, when he enlisted in Co. C, 7th Iowa^'ol. Inf., 
and went with his regiment to Benton Barracks, 
St. Louis, Mo., was taken sick immediatel}' on his 
arrival, and discharged from service on account of 
disability, one month after his enlistment. Return- 
ing to this county, upon the recovery of his health 
he began work at lilacksmithing, and continued in 
that business for eighteen j'ears, or until 1871, 
when he engaged in the business of general mer- 
chandising, which he still continues. 

Feb. 21, 1850, Mr. Gaskill w.as married to Miss 
Julia A. Mather, a daughter of James D. and Mar- 
garet AVatson Mather, of Clinton County, Ohio, 
both of whom are deceased. Mrs. Gaskill is a 
member of the Jlethodist Episcopal Church. Mr. 
Gaskill owns about six acres of land, upon which 
are a good frame dwelling, and a roomy and sub- 
stantial business house, in which he carries an aver- 
age stock of $3,000 worth of general merchandise, 






Kl 



ii 



I! 



1} 
flbl 

PI 
pi 



JsEHHSi^S 



gH ddrirV^r^rjdHr' ,^^ i ^ 







EcE^^ 











^ /^...v^^W 



iiiul is doing a large and renuiuoiative Imsiiiess. He 
is Postniastor at White ( )ak. 

I'uliticallj- Mr. Gaskill is a Hepiililican. He lielongs 
to the Masonic fraternity, and has taken all the de- 
grees up to and including that of Knight Templar, 
and is also a member of the A. (). U. W. Person- 
all3' and soclallj- he is one of the cleverest gentle- 
men in ]\[ahaska County. His pleasnnt htmic is one 
of hospitality and good cheer, and to his friends, 
who are a host, the latch-string of welcome always 
hangs outside. Honorable, high-minded, upright, 
and of the strictest integrity in his every-day bus- 
iness, he enjoys the first position in the confidence 
and esteem of a large circle of acquaintances. 



••-j»t^ 



5J:^ 



■ <^*c^' 




n^a 



"d": 



ON. C. J. JACKSON, a farmer and stock- 
grower, residing on section 4, White Oak 
Township, was born in Union County, Ind., 
Dec. '2. 1S20, and is the son of Joseph and 
Lj'dia (Jeffrey) Jackson. They were natives of 
North Carolina, but removed to Indiana in the 
year 1817, and pursued the occupation of farming. 
Mrs. Jackson died Feb. 8, 1841, and her husband 
Jul^' 20, 1851, at the old liome in Indiana. The 
subject of this sketch, C. J. .lackson, removed 
from Indiana to Des Moines Count}', Iowa, land- 
ing at Burlington Nov. 14, 1842, and resided there 
until the year 1864, when he removed to his pres- 
ent home in White Oak Township, this county. 

Jan. 14, 1841, Mr. Jackson was married to Miss 
Eliza Hood, a daughter of Martin and Rhoda 
(Brown) Hood. B^' this marri.age there were 
eleven children — Lydia J., Arabella, Eliza A., 
Frank L., M.artin J., John C, Thomas J., Willie, 
Henry A., Rhoda M. and Alice L. The mother 
died March 23, 1.883, and Jan. 24, 1884, Mr. Jack- 
son was married to Parthenia K. Gilchrist, a daugh- 
ter of Matthew D. and Parthenia (McDonald) 
Gilchrist. One child has been born to them — 
Harry D., Dec. 12, 188(i. 

Jlr. and Mrs. Jackson are members of the Chris- 
tian Church. In his political attiliations he is a 
member of the Republican party. During the res- 



idence of Ml-. .bicUson ill Des ISIoines County he 
was elected a member of the Legislature, and served 
in the regular session of 1S61-G2 and in the called 
session of the year 1863 as a member of the House 
of Representatives. He has been a member of the 
Board of Supervisors of this count}- three terms, 
and has also officiated as Justice of the Peace two 
terms. 

The home farm consists of 300 acres of fertile 
land, all in good cultivation and well improved. 
His house, barn and other buildings are first class 
in all respects. Mr. .Lackeon is rated as among 
the successful farmers of Mahaska County, is a 
man of the higher order of intelligence, of large 
general information, and thoroughly competent to 
graple with the intricate problems of the time in 
which he lives. He is system.atic in the conduct of 
his business, an honorable, upright gentleman, of 
strictest integi'ity, well known and highly esteemed. 

Mr. Jackson, as will be noticed by the date of 
his arrival in this State, was one of the pioneers of 
Iowa, and the thrilling scenes through which those 
early settlers passed in the settlement of the State 
must ever awaken emotions of warmest regard for 
them. To pave the way for those who followed, to 
make their settlement iri the West a pleasure, they 
stemmed the flood-tide wave of civilization, the}' 
endured all, suffered all. Though at the outset 
subjected to all the inconveniences and privations 
incident to pioneering in a new country, Mr. Jack- 
son has succeeded admirably, and we find in his 
life an excellent example for young men just em- 
barking in the field of active life; of what may be 
accomplished by a man, beginning poor, but honest, 
prudent and industrious. In early life he enjoyed 
but few advantages; his school days were limited, 
nor had he wealth or position to aid him in starting 
in life. He relied solely upon his own efforts and 
his own conduct to win for him success. Nor has 
his been a success solely in the sense of accumulat- 
ing wealth, but in doing good to others; in serving 
others well, and in winning their respect and es- 
teem. He has ever strictly observed that most 
important factor in the successful public or busi- 
ness life of anyone — honesty. He is a careful, 
conscientious citizen, ever adhering to the dictates 
of his conscience in matters both of public and 




m 



M 





HHH h-jfi^ ^ 



TrrrrrTya 



on 



[J ij xixxxxxixxxxxzxjxmzntx 



Ml 






"h} 'V 



ixxxxxr xxit; KXtxx»ixx»xi gtxx, r 



I ixj^ m-^-i""»J g y^txi3.niJii : 



258 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 




private nature. It is therefore with pleasure that 
we present on an accompanying page the portrait 
of Mr. Jackson, as that of one of the leading and 
representative men of the county. 

M. DAVENPORT, attorney at law, Oska- 
loosa, was born in Gallia County, Ohio, 
May 1, 1840, and is the son of Joseph and 
Rebecca (Coverston) Davenport, natives of Ohio. 
Joseph Davenport was born May 27, 1814, and his 
wife June 17, 1816; they were united in marriage 
on the 18th of May, 1837. By this union there 
were ten children, nine of whom are living: F. M. 
Davenport, of Oskaloosa; Almeda, wife of Jackson 
AUgood, of Republic County, Kan ; Henry W., a 
farmer in Greene County, Iowa; Eliza, wife of J. 
W. Roberts, of Kansas; America, wife of Richard 
Nash, of this county; George "\V., of Keokuk 
County, this State; Samuel H., of tliis county; 
Joseph T., of Norton County, Kan. ; James W., 
attorney at law, of Jefferson County, Iowa, and a 
graduate of the law school at the Iowa State Uni- 
versity. 

Mr. and Mrs. Davenport emigrated to Iowa and 
located in Mahaska County in the 3'ear 1847. He 
entered 500 acres of land in Adams Township, and 
of that bodj' of raw land and unbroken prairie 
made one of the best farms in the county. Polit- 
ically 'Sir. Davenport was a Democrat of the Jack- 
soniau school, .and was a man well versed in the 
affairs of State and nation. He took a deep and 
active interest in educational matters, and his chil- 
dren received all the advantages that the best 
schools in the country afforded. IMr. and Mrs. 
Davenport were life-long members of the Method- 
ist Episcopal Church, the father over fort}' years, 
and the mother for a period of half a century. He 
died in Jlahaska County Feb. 29, 1884; his widow 
is still living. As man and wife they journeyed 
together fortj'-seven years. 

The subject of our sketch came to this county 
with his parents, and was educated in the Iowa 
"Wesleyau University, in Mt. Pleasant, graduating 
in the classical course in the class of 1864. He en- 
gaged in farming for four years, and in the mean- 



time pursued a course of reading in elementary 
law. He then entered the law department of the 
Michigan ITniversity, at Ann Arbor, where he spent 
the junior year. Returning from that city he 
entered the office of Seevers & Cutts, then the lead- [ 
ing law firm of Central Iowa, remaining for eight r 
months, and then began the practice of his profes- • 
sion, which he has continued ever since. Mr. [ 
Davenport is also largely engaged in farming and ■ 
stock-raising. He was one of the originators of the ; 
Acme Co.al Company of this count}', and devel- ; 
oped this mine. 

In politics Mr. Davenport is an uncompromising i 
Democrat, and was the candidate of his party for 
the State Senate in 1875. His personal popularity 
was such that the Republican m.ijoritj', which 
ranged in tliat day from 900 to 1,500, was reduced 
in his case to 300. In 1878 he was elected Solicitor 
of the city of Oskaloosa. and in 1 880 was the can- 
didate of his party for Circuit Judge. The district 
being stronglj' Republican, he was defeated, but 
his personal popularity and well-Icnown legal ability 
enabled him to greatly reduce the majority against 
him over the entire district. He has always taken 
an .active interest in the success of the political 
party to which he is attached, and has alw.aj'S given 
liberallj' of his means and his services to bring 
.about the discomfiture of its opponents. In 1885 
he assisted as one of the projectors in the estab- 
lishment of the Oskaloosa Times, the leading Dem- 
ocratic paper of the district and count}', but with- 
drew from all connection with that office in 1886. 

Mr. Davenport was married. May 1, 1870, to 
Miss M.artha M. Griffith, daughter of William and 
Laviuia Griffith, of Ohio. The issue of this union 
is one child, William AVarren, now twelve years of 
age. From 1871 to 1873 Mrs. Davenport was 
Principal of the Oskaloosa High School. She has 
always taken an active interest in the temperance 
cause, and h.as been its impassioned advocate upon 
the rostrum for many years. In 1 885 she attended 
the general convention of the Women's Christian 
Temperance Union, at Philadelphia, as a delegate 
from Iowa, and is at present Treasurer of the 
Women's Christian Temperance Union of the State 
of Iowa, and also of the local society of Oskaloosa. 
She is also one of the managers of the Benedict 



: n 
: h 



s^^^^§a 



^£ 



riT I V t 1 t T ttti tttt ' i-I-M.j. *-^» i"»"j i 



I.: 

I:, 
I 



MrfrTrrrii^ r xiinxi P Ji miAj 'Tl Uriru 




MAHASKA COUNTY. 



k 



Home for Fallen Women, located at the city of 
Des Moines. Slie was educated at Hopedale Acad- 
emy, in the State of Ohio. At her home slie is a 
prominent worker in all the ladies' organizations. 
She has always been a great worker in looking up 
the poor of the city, and assisting them herself and 
in making their wants known to the Ladies' Relief 
Society and to the Township Trustees. She has 
received manj^ invitations of late to lecture in 
various parts of the country, but owing to poor 
health and the many duties of her official position 
in the Women's Christian Temperance Union, has 
nut been able to accept. 



b.^ 






Tia,Qi, 



"zr 



h ' 



^i^AVID S. SMITH, residing on section 34, 
!| ji) Garfield Township, is one of the substan- 
(H^^^ tifl farmers of the township. He was 
^''^ born in .Jefferson Count3', Ohio, in 1832, 

and is a son of .NUchael and Margaret (Shawver) 
Smith, both natives of the State of Pennsylvania, 
but of German descent. The father died at the 
age of seventy-four years, and the mother wlien 
sixt\'-four years old. They were members of the 
Lutheran Church. Like thou.sands of others the 
earl}' life of David was spent upon a farm, his edu- 
cation being limited to the common schools. On 
the 7th day of April, 1856, he lauded in Mahaska 
County and located at Oskaloosa, where he lived 
one year, engaged in cpiarrving rock. He then 
went one and a half milas north of Oskaloosa and 
rented a faini, where he lived one year. For the 
next six months he was engaged in working on the 
farm of John White, and the three months suc- 
ceeding worked for Daniel Nelson. He then bought 
a threshing-machine, which he ran for three months. 
In tiie spring of 185'J he started to Pike's Peak 
witli an ox-tearn, and was four months on the road. 
lieturniug home, he worked one month for ^L M. 
Hook for the muniiicent sum of SlO, chopping 
wood and making rails, after which he engaged a 
few months in feeding cattle at §2.5 per month. 

On the 29th day of INIarch, 1800, Mr. Smith was 
united in marriage with Harriet Ann Shaw, a na- 
tive of Washington County, Iowa, daughter of 



Kxiriti ricS 



inTiruiuil 



Joseph and Highly (Duckworth) Shaw. The}- have 
been blest with ten children: Michael, born Jan. 
12, 1861, married Mattie Tovera, a native of Ma- 
haska County, and is now living in Cedar Township : 
Hester Caroline, born Jan. 18, 1863, is now the wife 
of Thomas Evans of Beacon ; James, born Jan. 1 , 

1865, died .Ian. I, 1884; Rhoda, born Oct. 7. 

1866, died Jan. 28, 1877; Belle, born Sept. 10, 
1869; Noah W., Dec. 21, 1871 ; David Otto, March 
6, 1874; Norman, Sept. 0, 1876; Hosea, March 8, 
1878; Emma, June 29, 1881. 

Mr. Smith is a member of the I. O. O. F., and 
has passed all the Chairs. AVhen he came to Ma- 
haska Count}' he was a poor man, but by industry, 
econoinj' and good man.agement, he has accumu- 
lated a sufficient amount of this world's goods to 
make him comfortable the remaining years of his 
life. Good fortune has not always attended him. 
In 1879 his bouse was burned, together with all his 
household goods and $755 in cash, on which there 
was no insurance. In politics Mr. Smith is a Dem- 
ocrat. He has served as School Director and School 
Treasurer, serving in the latter office five j'ears. 
Mr. Smith is the owner of 265 acres of land, 100 
of which arc in Cedar Township; the remainder 
comprises the home farm. 



-<3- 






UC. MUSGROVE, farmer and stock-grower, 
lives on section 8, White Oak Township. 
^^^ He was born in Tennessee, Aug. 20, 1822, 
and a son of Samuel and Reljecca (Mills) Musgrove. 
They removed from Tennessee to Alabama in 1822, 
and there remained until 1830, when the}' emigra- 
ted to the State of Indiana, where the mother died 
in July, 1838, and the fallier in l.s74. He was a 
farmer and tobacconist. 

The subject of this sketch, AV. C. Musgrove, re- 
moved from Indiana to Illinois in 1845, locating 
in Henry County, where he resided until the 
spring of 1854. and then came to M.ahaska County, 
residing here until 1866, when he returned to 
Indiana and remained until 1873, in which year he 
came back to this county, where he has since re- 
mained. He was married, Dec. 28, 1842, to Miss 
Martha Robinson, who died in 1845, and the fol- 










PI n. 




K3rxT-i nmVd 







rrdnnrmm rixi ^TTXxxTTxrra •• 



260 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



^ 




lowing year he was married to Etli.ilinda Gate wood. 
By this marriage there have been nine children: 
Mary E., Margaret R., Martha A.. Gilbert M. (de- 
ceased), Irvin B., Emma A. (deceased), William 
H., and two children who died in infancj'. 

Mr. and jMrs. Musgrove are members of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church. Politically he is a 
Republican, and has filled the offices of Township 
Trustee and School Director almost continuously 
since he became a citizen of that township. He 
has also held the offices of Township Assessor and 
Supervisor. The home farm consists of 200 acres 
of tlie best quality of laud, all in splendid cultiva- 
tion, and with improvements of the best character. 
His house is commodious and well arranged, and 
his barn aud other buildings of the best character. 

Jlr. Musgrove is a man of untiring energy aud 
industry, and has made a success of life iu his busi- 
ness, in the neighborhood where he resides, and 
where he is best known. He enjoys the regard and 
confidence of an extended circle of friends and ac- 
quaintances. 



/EROME B. CRUZEN. Among the well-to- 
do business firms of Oslialoosa is that of 
Cruzen & Bacon, of which the subject of 
^^1 this notice is a member. He was born in 
Madison Township, Mahaska Co., Iowa, Aug. 17, 
1853, aud is a son of Hamilton and Sarah (Coffin) 
Cruzen. Mr. Cruzen was educated in the common 
schools of his native county, came to Oskaloosa in 
1875, and engaged as clerk for the grocery firm of 
Asher cVr INIattox. In 1879 Mr. Cruzen engaged 
in farming, and was thus occupied until 1884, dur- 
ing wliich j'ear he returned to Oskaloosa and en- 
gaged in the business in wliich he is at present 
interested. 

Mr. Cruzen was united in marriage at Oskaloosa, 
May 3, 187G, with Miss Lucy, daughter of Henry 
Mattox. Mrs. Cruzen was born near Bellefontaine, 
Ohio, aud has borne her husband two children — 
May and Harry. Religiously she is a member of 
the Christian Chureli. Mr. Cruzen is a Republican, 
and socially he is a member of the I. O. O. F. By 
fair and honest dealing with their patrons the firm 



to whicii Mr. Cruzen belongs has established a j 
good and constantly increasing trade, and is meet- 
ing with signal success. 



VY?UDGE .T. A L. CROOKHAM, attorney, 
banker and stock-raiser, is a son of George 
L. and Sarah (Lake) Crookham, and was 
(^^/' born in Jackson County, Ohio. Our sub- 
ject's father was born in October, 1779, and died in 
Jackson Couutj^ Ohio, Feb. 28, 1857; his wife was 
a native of Tioone's Lick, Ky., born in September, 
1779, and died in Jackson County, Jan. 9, 1852. 
They were the parents of sixteen children, five now 
living : Horatio died at the age of twenty-two, and 
was at the time of his death Superintendent of Con- 
struction on the Ohio and Erie Canal; Martha, 
widow of J. AV. Hanna, resides in Missouri ; Euclid 
married Samuel Montgomery, both now deceased; 
Horace, a farmer, died in Marion County, Iowa, 
Nov. 18, 1881 ; .James died in Virginia on his farm; 
Vashti died April 9, 1884; she was the widow of 
Abner Lewis, who died at Memphis, Teun., during 
the war; John A. L., the subject of this sketch; 
Milton, a farmer in Mahaslva Couutj' ; Lawrence, a 
farmer, now iu Pickaway County, Ohio; Norval 
died at the age of six years ; Oliver C., Emily G. and 
Louisa .are all deceased ; Jefferson G. is now in part- 
nership with the Judge iu the law business; Sarah 
L. and Amarillis C. are deceased. 

The father of the subject of this sketch was iu 
early life a salt manufacturer at the Sciota Salt 
Works, in partnership with Asa Lake, and they were 
among the first to engage iu that business iu Ohio. 
The father of George L., and grandfather of the 
Judge, was at the time of the Revolutionary War 
t.aken prisoner aud held for about eight months on 
the Western Reserve in Ohio, and forty years later, 
when the Indian lands were put upon the market, 
he returned to that country, bought the land, and 
located on the same spot where he had been held as 
prisoner, and died there. He was a blacksmith, and 
made arms for Gen. Washington during the Rev- 
olutionary War. The maternal grandfather was 
taken prisoner at the battle of Long Island, when 
seventeen* j'ears of age, and was given to the Ind- 



I 



w. 



1 

J' 




^ss^ssa 



I miiiiiiiMiiiiin iiUTrrrziuimniixr 



"•^ taaajiar 




Ifagg^W&gSS^JP.e' 



'■^S^^ 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



261 



1 : 
I : 
il : 

in: 

i| 

1:1 

hi 
I ::S 



ians b,y the English, and carried out to the Western 
Reserve, in Western Ohio. He was Ifked and 
adopted Iw the chief, and was sent out hunting, 
and escaped after about a year's captivity', footing 
it back. In 1.S20, fort3' j-ears later, he took a claim 
where the Indian wigwam was, and the spring out 
of which he formerly diiiuk was on this claim. He 
(lied on it in 1843. 

(ieorge L. Crookham learned the lilacksmith 
trade of his father, but when seventeen j^ears of age 
abandoned it, his tastes being in another direction, 
.and turned his attention to mathematics, in which 
he excelled. He was also a great reader and stu- 
dent, and invariably spent eight hours per day in his 
study, which w.as a small log house, built with jack- 
oak logs, which he called his Jack Oak College. Here 
he taught his children, and here w.as his library of 
valuable books, and a large number of vahuable 
manuscripts which were afterward burned because 
of his extreme views t>n the questions of temper- 
ance and slavery. He was an old Federal \V'hig, 
and helped many a colored man to gain his free- 
dom, his home being a station on the underground 
railroad of that d.ay, and his own son, Jefferson G., 
at one time driving the team that carried one load 
of these unfortunate people farther north. He was 
a well-read law^-er and physician, and although he 
knew nearly nothing about the workings of his large 
farm, and never had an3'thing to do with his numer- 
ous cattle, he knew all about the bugs, insects .and 
reptiles on the place. He was President of the first 
temperance societ}' ever organized in that countrj', 
and one of the most prominent Abolitionists in 
Jackson County, and wrote a great many articles 
for newspapers ujwn these topics. 

The subject of this sketch was reared on the 
iiiinic farm until he lacked two months of his ma- 
jority, when he went to Kanawah and took a eon- 
tract for and cut 40,()(tO hoop p(jles. He also en- 
tered 160 acres of laud in Jackson County, at $1.25 
per acre, and then boated one summer on the Kana- 
wah River, after which he removed to Darv.in, 111., 
where he taught school for three years, reading law 
during the time under the direction of Judge Har- 
lan. Thence he went in charge of a cargo of prod- 
uce to New Orleans, and on his return stopped near 
Helena, Ark., and read law with Judge McKec. 



He then returned to Illinois, sold his land, and 
started to Oskaloosa in August, 1845, having made 
the trip on horseback. He bought two lots in this 
cit}-, but remained liere onl}- a short time because 
of the fever and ague that he contracted, and re- 
turned to Illinois, to a point above Burlington, 
where he taught school for twelve months, and con- 
tinued his study of the law under C. M. H.arris and 
Cyrus Walker. Returning again to Iowa, he was 
admitted to the bar in Lee County, and practiced 
his profession there until August, 1847, when he 
again came to Oskaloosa, where be has since re- 
sided, and engaged in the practice of the law, most 
of the time alone. He formed one partnership with 
Hon. .James Rhinehart, which continued for several 
years, and his last partner was Hon. H. W. Gleason, 
which association continued about seven j'ears. 

The Judge has. perhaps, defended more criminal 
cases than any other lawyer in Iowa. It was his 
rule to defend and never to prosecute a case, and 
fortunate indeed was the law-breaker who secured 
his services. His practice in this regard covered a 
large amount of territory, and he was employed in 
important ca.ses over the entire district, extending 
as far north as Marshalltown and Des Moines, and 
in a radius of nearly 100 miles in an}' direction from 
Oskaloosa. He was a lawyer of great caution, pre- 
pared his cases with a great deal of care, and was 
untiring in the production of the necessary evidence 
to sustain his theory of a case. In all public enter- 
prises the Judge has invariably been a leader. In 
procuring the location of the Central Iowa Rail- 
road through this county he spent two j'ears rais- 
ing subscriptions and obtaining right of way, for 
which he received no compensation, besides which 
he donated ¥2,500 in aid of the enterprise. In secur- 
ing the Des Moines Valley Railroad he paid a ^600 
subscription besides spending a great deal of time 
and was also largely instrumental in securing the 
Chicago, Rock Island <fe Pacific Road through this 
city, giving liber.allj' of his means and time; so also 
in the securing of Oskaloosa and Penn Colleges, he 
greatly aided. In fact there is scarcely an enter- 
prise in the county which he has not promoted both 
b\' his means and influence. 

Judge Crookham has never been an otlice-seeker, 
and though recognized as one of the nu)st astute 




w 



i 






il. 



ITTTimill 





t rim m mm tT i i ixi i ut t«inM M t 
'rmrrxiniiiinrxiiTi mri rni« 



262 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



pr-^t 



politicians in this part of the State, and always an 
enthusiast for the success of the Republican party, 
yet he has never sought the honors of office at the 
hands of his friends. He was, however, elected 
County .Judge of this count}', and served in that 
position from 1851 to 1(^.55. It was during his 
term of office that the voters of the county author- 
ized the issuing of $200,000 of bonds in aid of the 
old M. <fe M. R. R. in'oject, which afterward proved 
to be a gigantic fraud. The bonds, however, were 
not issued during his term of office, and his suc- 
P ' cessor was enjoined from issuing or delivering them. 
The Judge represented this county in the State 
}j Senate in the sessions of 1864 and 1867, and took 
'*) an active part in formulating a great amount of 
V valuable legislation during his term. The original 
l)ill granting aid to the soldiers" families, wh<j were 

fil i in the army, was introduced by him, but the bill as 

n Ml 

Sj^jjai p.assed only allowed one-half the amount asked for 

in the original draft. He also introduced a bill to 

extend the elective franchise to all the colored men 

who enlisted in the seivice from Iowa, and who 

had received honorable discharges. At the session 

of 1867 lie introduced a bill amending the Constitu- 

q U tion of the State by striking out the word "white", 

^ JHr which amendment was adopted by the people, and 

made Iowa the first State in the Union to grant 

tliat privilege to the colored race. He served as 

Chairman on a Committee on Banks and Banking, 

in the Senate, and was a prominent member of the 

Judiciary Committee. 

The .Judge has been twice married ; first to Eliza- 



I 1 






^1 



I 



mm 

II 



U' 



P^i beth Delashmutt, a native of Virginia, who was 
jl ijli reared in Iowa. She was of French descent on the 
paternal side, and English on the maternal. Of this 
union there were two children, both living: William, 
who resides in Oskaloosa, and is an attorney, but 
not practicing on account of ill-health, and Euclid, 
E^r^ who is now a preceptress in Oskaloosa College. 
The Judge's second marriage was solemnized with 
Miss Crissa A. Carter, a native of Pennsylvania, 
who was reared in Ohio until years of maturitj', 
and came with her parents to this count}' in 1851, 
where her father and mother died at an advanced 
age. She has tvvo sisters in this county, Catherine, 
I"iM \vife of Dr. J. II. Fr}-, residing at Union Mills, and 
^ Eliza, wife of Hon. M. M. Rice, Mayor of the city 



iM 




of Oskaloosa. There are three children by this last ^i 
marriage — Sarah, John A. and Joseph II., twins. 

The Judge was born an Abolitionist and a Prohi- 
bitionist. He signed the Washinotonian pledoe Mi 
when a child of eight years, and has faithfully kept S 
it. There is no more energetic citizen in the 
county, and he is seemingly as active at his already 
advanced age as he was when a young man. He 
came to this county a poor man, and liy his energy, ^i 
industry and economy, has accumulated a hand- 
some fortune. 



V 1 OHN SCHULTZ, of Garfield Township, was 
I born near Berlin, Germany, March 1, 1814, 
his parents being Frederick and Dvv.i (Mil- 
ler) Schultz, both natives of Germany. 
Frederick was a veterinary surgeon by profession, 
and a soldier in the German army, during the wars 
against Napoleon Bonaparte. The subject of this 
sketch was married in 1842 to Dora P. Volman, a 
native of I'russia, and a daughter of Edmond Vol- 
man. They became the parents of eleven children, 
eight of wliom lived to be men and women : JMartha 
died in (iermau}', in infancy; Margaret, wife of 
Benjamin K. Currence, of Kirksville, Mo.; Charles 
died in infancy, in Muscatine; Elizabeth is the wife 
of (ieorge Fortner, of Oskaloosa; (icorge is now 
living in Des Moines Township; Mary died in in- 
fancy; John resides in Des Moines Township; Ma- 
tilda is the wife of Alexander Henry, of Thorn- 
burg, Iowa; Sidney is at home; Eltan, the wife of 
Frank ll.all, died in August, 1880, and iier husband 
in January, 1884; Thomas F. lives at home. The 
grandchild of Mr. Schultz, Edna E. Fall, has been 
adopted liy him and resides on the homestead. 
Mrs. Schultz died (Jet. 26, 1879, aged sixty years. 
Mr. Shultz came to America in 1848, and landed 
at New Orleans. The trip across the ocean was 
made in the (ierman ship, Louisa, and on .account 
of very severe storms they were forty-seven days 
making the passage. They were fourteen days in 
the North Sea, a trip usuall}- made in tlu-ee days. 
After landing at New Orleans they traveled by 
steamboat up the Mississippi River to St. Louis, and 
lived there until 1850, engaged in the business of 



aa 



"hHHfV.ei/)" 



■ t^xja [ r^erati j rigrii."< [ n^-^-a ■' 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



263 






Us 

y 

1 

i; 



fiiE 



p 

ii 

ii 

isB 
l-C 



1,-: 



ii : 



l.HS 
13: 



quarrying stone. He had an attack of cholera in 
tiiat cit3-, in June, 1849, which lasted one week and 
a half. His physician advised him to go to a cooler 
climate for his health, so he went to JIuscatinc, 
Iowa, and bought fifty -two acres of laud lying be- 
tween Muscatine and Davenport, and eight miles 
from the former jjlace. Here he lived for five 
years, or until 18.i.5, when he came to thiscountj', 
settling on section 33 of this township, where he 
owns 208 acres of land, all of which is in a high 
state of cultivation and well improved. 

Father Schultz commenced life a poor boj', and 
reached his present financial condition by hard 
work, good management and ectjnomj'. He is a 
member of the Lutheran Church, with which his 
wife was also connected. He is a member of the 
Subordinate Lodge and Encampment, L O. O. F., 
organized the lodge of that order at Beacon, and 
served it as Noble Grand ; he has also been .Super- 
visor of his township one term. He is engaged in 
general farming and stock-raising, and is a success- 
ful farmer. There is, perhaps, no man in the 
county better known or more respected than Uncle 
John Schultz. He is the ver}' soul of honor, his 
home is one of hospitality and good cheer, and he 
now looks back over a life of toil, having gained a 
competence, with supreme satisfaction, and with 
the reflection, that friends he has rnanv and enemies 
none. 

AMUEL SINCLAIR, of Oskaloosa, was 
l)orn in Loudoun County, Va., Oct. L3, 
1813. He was reared in Washington 
County, Pa., where he grew to manhood, 
and where he was first married to Oma ^litchener, 
by whom he had five children, three yet living: 
Charles, James and Harriet. Mrs. Sinclair died 
in February, 1857, and he again married, Sarah 
Bartley liecoming his wife. There were four chil- 
dren by tills union, three now living — Bartley, Ade- 
line and Willie. 

Mr. Sinclair enlisted and was sworn into service 
Aug. 14, 1861. in what was known as the Washing- 
ton Independent Guard, which was stationed along 
the line of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. This 
<'(jinmand had a severe fight at Greenbrier, where 




the enemy was repulsed with great loss. By rea- 
son of ill-health he was discharged from the service 
in 1862. In 1869 he removed to the State of Ohio, 
where he spent two years, and in 1871 came to Ma- 
haska County. He now receives a pension of $8 
per n)onth. 

Mr. Sinclair is a member of the G. A. R., and 
also of the I. O. O. F. Politically he is a Repub- 
lican of the stalwart sort. He enjoys the confidence 
of all who know him, and is an upright, honorable 
citizen. 



/^(l MOS WYMORE, farmer and stock-raiser. 

■^"Ol resides on section 5, "White Oak Township. 
He was born in Indiana March 1, 1842, 
0f/ and is the son of William H. and Rutha 

(Snook) AVyniore, the former a native of Ohio and 
the latter of Kentucky. They followed the occu- 
pation of farming, and came to Iowa about the 
year 1836; he died in 1876, and she in May, 1884. 
The subject of this sketch, Amos Wymore, was 
married. May 10, 1866, to Mrs. Jlary Tanner, nee 
Bolton, who is a daughter of Abraham and Martha 
(Goodchild) Bolton, who were natives of England, 
came to this count}" from Illinois in 1846, and are 
both deceased. The former died in 1852 and the 
latter in May, 1877. Mr. and Mrs. AV3-more be- 
came the parents of seven children, of whom only 
two are living: Julian and Ilattie; five died in in- 
fanc}'. 

Alva Tanner, the first husband of Mrs. Wymore, 
was a soldier in the late war, and was killed on the 
9th day of August, 1863. He was a member of 
Co. C, 1 5th Iowa Vol. Inf., enlisted in the fall of 
1861, and had veteranized in the spring of the 
same year that he lost his life ; he was a Sergeant 
in his company. He was the father of two children : 
Orin, now deceased, and one who died in infancy. 

The subject of this sketch, Amos Wymore, was 
a soldier during the late war, and a member of Co. 
C, loth Iowa Vol. Inf., commanded by Capt. James 
A. Seevers. He enlisted Oct. 22, 1861, and served 
fourteen months, when he was discharged by rea- 
son of disability contracted in the service. He 
participated in the battle of Shiloh, and was also 




M 



f» 



KlU 



rq 

ki^ 

m^ 




Inm nxKnrxnxsKUxnkixurx 



^^Wi«.iwafiaaiFit'rokx»^ Bta^ l^^.fajj HHH t 







present during the siege of Corinth, where, in De- 
cember, 1862, he was discharged as above stated. 

Politically ^Ir. Wymore is a Repiililican, and has 
filled the ottices of Supervisor and member of the 
School Board in his township. He is the owner of 
1 1 4 acres of excellent land, all in a good state of 
cultivation, and with the best class of improve- 
ments. He has a good frame dwelling, and a com- 
modious barn, 36x40 feet, with basement. He has 
a fine orchard upon the place of tlu'ifty trees in 
good bearing. The entire farm is kept ntat and in 
good order, and is the best evidence of the thrift 
and enterprise of its owner, who has been fairly 
successful in his business. Personalh' and socially 
Mr. and jMrs. Wymore are greatly' esteemed among 
their friends and acquaintances. 



~~-v/T. -MLe£j2.'©l@* 



^^5y^'7r^f»^~ "vx/v-^ 




1^ 



m 




ness, giving himself but little opportunity for rec- 
reation, but in 187(J he made a trip to the East, at- 
tended the Centennial Exposition at Philadelphia, 
and visited the cities of New York, Ihiffalo, Indian- 
apolis and Chicago, ilr. Brewer was appointed 
Postmaster in 187o, but had served as Deputy 
Postmaster from 1868, transacting all the business 
of the office. He is now serving his third term. 



lEORGE AV. BREWER is engaged in the 
mercantile business at Givin, this county. 
He is a native, to the manor born, first see- 
ing the light of day in Mahaska County, Feb. 22, 
1850, and is a son of Harry and Helen M. (Adams) 
Brewer. (vSee sketch of Harry Brewer on another 
page of this volume.) George was reared on a 
farm and received his education in the district 
schools, supplemented by two terms in Oskaloosa 
College. As soon as old enough to attend to the 
business he entered the store of which he is now 
proprietor, as a clerk, and is now serving his six- 
teenth j-ear in the business. 

On the 3d day of October, 1873, Mr. Brewer was 
married to Miss Martha A. Cribner, a native of 
Mahaska County, and a daughter of Nicholas H. 
and Nancy Cribner. Five children have been born 
to them — Harrj' Hale, George Anuer, Sadie Helen, 
, Herbert Willard and Earl. Mr. Brewer owns the 
} building in which his store is kept, and also a hand- 
^Ki [ some story-and-a-half residence, 20x30 feet, erected 
'j---',t3 at a cost of $1,000. He is a member of the Method- 
ist Episcopal Church, the 1. O. O. F., and is a 
L Knight Templar in the Masonic fraternity. 

In politics Mr. B. is a Democrat, but takes no 

active part in political matters. Since commencing 

j" the mercantile trade he has attended closely to busi- 




GEORGE GRAY. The firm of Anderson & 
Co., manufacturers and dealers in marble 
work at Oskaloosa, and composed of Benja- 
min P. Anderson and (ieorge Gray, is meeting 
with that success which is l)ut the outgrowth of en- 
ergy and perseverance on the part of the members 
of the firm. The business was established in 1881, 
and at this writing they have a good and constantly 
increasing trade. George Gra^' was born in Mon- 
roe County, Iowa, May 2,0, 1859, and is a son of 
James and Isabel Gray. 

Our subject was brought up on the farm and 
lived in his native county until he attained the age 
of maturity. In INIarch, l.s.'S6, he luirchased an in- 
terest in the business in which he is at present en- 
gaged. His marriage took place in Marion County, 
Iowa, March 27, 1883, Miss Hattie Anderson, 
daughter of John Anderson, being the other con- 
tracting party. She was born in Monroe County, 
this State, and has borne our subject one child, 
Fannie. In politics Mr. (Tray is independent. 

'^ AMES C. MY'ERS, residing at Oskaloosa, is, 
and has been, engaged in dealing in pumps 
for the last eighteen 3'ears, and has resided 
^^ in that city since the spring of 1855. He 
was born in Crawford Count}-, Pa., Nov. !), 1825, 
and is a son of William and Mar}* (Custard) Mj'ers. 
When ten years of age his parents removed to Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio, and in that cit\' our subject was 
reared to manhood, and there received his educa- 
tion. He learned the carpenter's trade in Cincin- 
nati, after serving an apprenticeship of seven years, 
begiuning when he was sixteen and afterward 
wi)rked at it, prior to his coming to this State. 



a&^ B 




LI:: ] ' 

N " 
I.: : 

ij:: 

I 

!i 

il 

1^ 

1? 

\i 

M 
1 = 

1"; 



hr'Hr'r'rl 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



1 2 



rL,: 

hi.: 

Ht 

\i 

i; 

i; 
\] 
i: 
i: 
i; 



il 



1:S 
1 'C 

IS 



k : 
v: 

H : 
hi - 



Mr. M3ers w.as married, in Piqua, ^Miami Co., 
Ohio, e.irly iu tlie spring of 18.J2. to Miss Keziali 
Honey. She w.os born near Piiiladelphia, Pa., and 
to their union four oliildren were given, hut their 
househokl h:is been saddened by tiie death of two: 
Charles died at the age of one and a half year.s; 
Alice is the widow of Frank Case, and resides in 
Oskaloosa; Clara departed this life when a j'oung 
lady of twentj'-one years, and Emma resides at 
home. 

Mr. Myers came to this couuty and setlled in Os- 
kaloosa* in April, 18.");j. On arriving, he engaged 
ill working at his trade, and continued the same for 
alioiit fifteen or sixteen years. He then embarked 
in the pump business, which he has conducted un- 
til the present time, and in which he has met with 
more than ordinary success. In politics he has 
heretofore voted with the Republican party, but at 
present is independent. 



I^DWARD W. (iRIN.STEAD, a farmer and 
iN stock trader, residing on section 4, Cedar 
/IL^ Township, was born in A\'arren County, Ky., 
.Tune 17, 1<S17, and is the son of Richard and Fran- 
ces (Potter) Grinstead. The former was a native 
of Virginia, and a soldier in the War of 1812, and 
died in .Jennings Countj", Ind., in 1878, at the ad- 
vanced age of eightj'-seven j^ears. The latter was 
a native of Kentucky, and died about the year 
1868, in Davis Countj', low-a, at the age of sixty- 
seven yeai-s. The subject of this sketch came to 
Davis County, Iowa, May 5, 1849, and remained 
there until 1881, and then removed to this county. 
In 1862, March 1, Mr. Grinstead enlisted in the 
-Missouri State Militita, United States Service, in 
C\>mpauy C, commanded bj' Capt. Edwards, as a 
private soldier, but performed the duties of a Ser- 
geant through his entire period of enlistment. He 
was in the battles of Kirksville and IJIoonifield, 
Mo., and Cape Girardeau. In Davis County, Iowa, 
in the j^ear 1862, nuder orders of his superior offi- 
cer, he arrested two men, wlm made a vigorous at- 
tempt to escape and finally succeeded, but not until 
he hail fought biavel^' to keep them, Holli were 






I T rrr"» .■■|..iii fj ■ ■ i m ■ ■ m 



inlrmTZK 



armed with revolvers, and fired at him eight times, 
four of the shots taking effect, one through his Icli 
h.and, one through the left side of the face, takinu 
out a portion of the lower jaw and some teeth, ami 
lodging near the jugular vein, just below the eni : 
one in the left side, this ball striking a memoran- 
dum book at least half an inch thick, passing 
through the book and lodging in his side, and one 
through the right arm below the elbow, breaking 
one bone of the arm. Notwithstanding his severe 
wounds, he was compelled to walk three-fourths of 
a mile, the rebels having taken his horse, before he 
could receive assistance and care, which he did at 
apriv.atehouse, where he remained until he was able 
to be taken home. He was wounded Dec. IG, 1862, 
and rejoined his command April 1, 1.S63, receiving 
his discharge jNIay 1;>, 186;5, and is to-day a cripple 
for life, yet a man of considerable activity. 

Mr. Grinstead was married to Elizabeth Ross, 
March 16, 1837. She was born in Rockbridge 
Couuty, Va., in 1816, and three children were born 
to them : James L., Thomas F. and Elizabeth. 
.Tames L. and Thomas both served in the late wai- 
for the Union, the former three years, and the lat- 
ter over four years; both were gallant soldiers, 
who did their dut3' on ever}' occasion. The mother 
of these children died in .Jefferson County, Ind., 
in 1843, and Dec. 31, 1844, he was again married, 
to Susan Smith, born in Montgomery, Ky.,Feb. 11, 
1822. Eight children have been born to them: 
IMargaret A., born Dec. 3, 184.5, died Sept. 1, 1858; 
Calvin S., born May 17, 1847; Nanc.y Jane, Sept. 
22, 1849; John II. C, May 17, 1852; Viola I., 
born Nov. 24, 1854, died Sept. 17, 1855; George 
W., born Aug. 14, 1856; Edward C, May 24, 
1859; Abraham h., born May 30, 1863, died Aug. 
18, 1861: Mary L.. boni .July 1 6, 1867, died Sept. 
25, 1876. 

Mr. (irinstead is a meiiiher of the ('•. A. R., and 
politically a Republican. He held the office of Con- 
stable in Jefferson County, Ind., and Davis County, 
Iowa, for many ^'ears, and was a terror to all law- 
breakers, and fearless in the discharge of his duties. 
He owns 130 .acres of land, in good cultivation, 
with excellent improvements, which he farms profit- 
ably. He is highly regarded in the section where 
he lives, and enjoys the esteem of all who know 



B 



M 



Kill 111 i_iir« 



DUEZzxxxx: 



^ES^Fn: 



266 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



11 



11^ 



II 



U^Jj^yji 






\M 



him. Mr. Grinstead has been a very extensive 
stocli-dealer in times past, having boujiht and sold 
stock to the amount of hundreds of thousands of 
dollars. 

A. IIOFFJMAN, M. 1)., of Oskaloosa, was 
born at Jackson, Jackson Co., Ohio, Sept. 
28, KS24. He attended the common 
schools at that place until 1 83)S, when he 
entered his father's store as salesman, and there re- 
mained until the fall of 1841. He attendetl the 
Ohio University at Athens for two years, and then 
commenced the study of medicine at home, but 
in the fall of 1844 he went to Athens, Ohio, and 
continued his studies for a period of two years un- 
der the direction of Dr. William Blackstone. He 
attended lectures at Cleveland, Ohio, during the 
sessions of 1846-47 and 1847-48, graduating Feb. 
24, 1848. He practiced in the State of Ohio at 
Jackson and Logan until May, 1861, when he re- 
moved to Oskaloosa, I(^wa, where he has been en- 
gaged in active practice ever since. Since April, 
1883, he has associated with him in his practice his 
son, R. C. Hoffman, M. D. 

Dr. Hoffman was married, Nov. 16, 1848, to 
Fmily Smith, of Logan, Hocking Co., Ohio. They 
liave four children: Edgar B., living eight miles 
west of Oskaloosa on a farm; John A., attorney at 
law, Oskaloosa ; Eflie L. was married to J. F. Rog- 
ers, in 1880, and removed to Kansas, where he died 
in August, 1883; since then she has been living 
with her parents; Mrs. Rogers has one child living. 
The youngest son, Ripley C, is a ph3'sician and sur- 
geon, and is in partnership with his father. Beside 
attending to their professional business Drs. Hoff- 
man have accumulated the finest private cabinet in 
the State and a very fine library of medical, mis- 
cellaneous and scientific books. 

Daniel Hoffman, father of the subject of this 
sketch, was born at Woodstock, Shenandoah Co., 
Va., Jan. 18, 1790. He learned the trade of gun- 
smith with his father, and removed with the family 
to Ross County', Ohio, in 1806. He was a private 
soldier in the War of 1812, and at its conclusion 
went to Flarper's F^erry, Va., where he worked a 



short time in the armory. In 1814 he engaged in 
mercantile pursuits at Circleville, Ohio, and two 
years later removed to Jackson, where he lived 
until his death in 1861. During this jieriod he held 
many important ofHces, among them that of 
County Commissioner, Clerk of the Courts, and 
member of the Legislature of Ohio. He was the 
father of six children, as follows: Col. John J. 
Oarnett, of Kansas; Ripley C, attorney at law at 
Cohunbus, Ohio; David A. is the third son; 
Charles B. died in infancy; Cornelia X., now Mrs. 
J. L. J^ong. lives at Jackson, Ohio; Daniel W. was 
an attorney, and practiced at Ottawa, Kan., until his 
health failed, when he returned to Circleville, Ohio, 
and died Dec. 31, 1875: the eldest sou, John J., 
was Captain of a company of infantry in the three 
months' service, and afterward Lieutenant Colonel 
of the 2d \'irginia Cavalry. Daniel W. was Major 
of the 2d Ohio Heavy Artillery. 

Julia James, wife of JJaniel Floffraan, was born on 
what is now called Neal's Island, in the Ohio River, 
between Marietta and Parkersbnrg, W. Va.. April 
10, 1800. They were united in marriage in the 
year 181 8, and lived happily together until his death. 
She died in 1863, at Jackson, Ohio. Her father. 
John James, came to Ohio from Connecticut, in 
1787, six months after the first settlement of Mar- 
ietta by Gen. Putnam. 

The subject of this sketch is a member of the 
Masonic f raternitj', and has been AVorshipf ul Master 
of the Blue Lodge, High Priest of the Chapter, 
and was the first Eminent Commander of Command- 
ery No. 6, of Oskaloosa, which latter office he held 
for five 3'ears. The Doctor has been a ]\Iason since 
1846, and an Odd F'ellow since 1847, and is also a 
member of the Knights of Pythias. 

— >>- o♦o.•^C)^X^••o♦o .S-— 



^ACOB HIMES, one of the early settlers of 
Mahaska County, was bom in York County^ 
I Pa., Aug. 28, 1816, and is a son of Peter and 
Margaret (Wonder) Himes; the former was 
born in 1786, and died in 1826; the latter was born 
in 1792, and died in 1859. Peter Himes was drafted 
in the War of 1812. but hired a substitute on ac- 
cyuut of his young family. He was the father of 




fSS ^ rJrJ^ I 









rUiTiiiTTrJLJiiiiiTi: 

KHS22a 




Hr'f^'rfi-'r'r'r-, 



^^^^ 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



267 



■'H 



three children: Mar\', who married M. II. Plum- 
per, and died in Cumberland County, III., in 1S4!>; 
Jacoli is the subject of tliis sketch; and one child 
died ill infanc\'. Mrs. Himes was again married, to 
I'eter Lauck, and to them three children were born, 
one living, David C, in Kansas. Mr. and Mrs. 
Himes were members of the German Reformed 
Church for many years, but in later years united 
with the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. 

The subject of this sketch was raised on a farm, 
receiving his education in a subscription school, 
and finished his school education before he was 
eleven years old. He was a close student and (|uick 
to learn. His father died when he was ten years 
old, and at the age of fifteen he was apprenticed to 
the blacksmith trade for three 3'ears. The first year 
he received his board and clothes, and was allowed 
one week, during harvest time, and permitted to 
have what he could earn during that week. He 
served his full aprenticeship. and received ^30 in 
cash, with which to start out in life, and opened up 
a shop where his father had worked before him. 
He continued his studies, and before lie reached the 
age of twenty-one was employed to teach the school 
in the district where he had been raised. 

Mr. Himes was married, in Cumberland County, 
Pa., March 22, 1838, to Miss Mary Ann Lamer. 
She was btn-n in Cumberland County, Sept. 1, 1820, 
and was a daughter of Abraham and Mary (Camp- 
bell) Lanier, who were the parents of seven chil- 
dren : Eliza, Mary Ann, William, Margaret, Abra- 
ham, Fanny and John. Jlr. and Mrs. Lamer I'e- 
moved from Cumberland Count3', Pa., to ^'enango 
County. The mother was a member of tiic Luth- 
eran Church. In the same .year, Jacob llimes re- 
moved to the same count}', where he opened a shop 
and worked at his trade, remaining there until 
1847, when he removed to Logan Count}', Ohio, 
and worked at his trade until the year 180(5, when 
he came to Mahaska County and purchased land in 
(iarfield Township, improved the same, and resided 
thereon until 1870, when he moved to Oskaloosa, 
where he has since resided. 

Mr. and Mrs. Himes are the parents of seven 
children: Sarah Jane, born Jan. 1, 1839, is the 
wife of David D. Ross, of this county ; George W., 
born June 1, 1810, was Orderly Sergeant in Co. E, 



33d Iowa ^'l)l. Inf., aiKl died from disease con- 
tracted in the service Sept. 1, IKG.i; Theodore, 
born Jan. 24, 1842, w:vs also a memlier of the 33d 
Iowa Infantry, was taken sick in the service, 
brought home, and died Nov. 14, l.sijo; Jacob M., 
born June 22, 1K44. enlisted in the same regiment 
as a private soldier, serving until the close of the 
war, and i):u-ticipated in all the engagements of his 
regiment; he is now a resident of Adams County, 
Iowa; David A., liorn Oct. 26, 1846, is a farmer in 
Mahaska County; he enlistetl in the service twice, 
but was rejected as under age; Mary M., born Au"-. 
Hi. IS;')!, was married to(i. S. Prine, and died Feb. 
13, 1871 ; Kdwin K. was born July 16, 1860, and is 
at present Assistant Cashier of the Oskaloosa Na- 
tional Bank. 

]\Ir. and Mrs. Himes are members of the Cumber- 
land Presbyterian Church. They have been iden- 
tified with this county for thirty years, and have 
been observers of its wonderful growth and pros- 
perity. That they enjoy the highest regard of 
their numerous friends and acquaintances is not at 
all strange. They are high-minded, honorable peo- 
ple, iKjnest and upright in all their dealings with 
their fellow-citizens, and generous and liberal 
wherever and whenever their charity is invoked. 

^ C. HOFFMAN. M. I)., of the firm of D. A. 
Hoffman tt Son, of Oskaloosa, was born in 
^ ,1, Hocking County, Ohio, Nov. 12, 1860. He 
^)came with his parents to this county when 
about one year old .and commenced reading medi- 
cine in his father's office when a boy of nineteen. 
His literary education was received at Penn Col- 
lege, Oskaloosa. In the years 1880-83, he .attended 
Jefferson Medic:d College, where he graduated with 
high honors in the class of 1883. After graduation . 
he formed a partnership with his father, who is one 
of the leading physicians of the county, and has 
since been activel}' eng.aged in the practice of 
medicine and surgery. The Doctor is one of the 
leading surgeons of Central and Southern Iowa, and 
is frequently called long distances for consultation 
and the performance of ditlicult and dangerous sur- 
gical operations. 

Dr. Hoffman is a member of tlie American Medi- 



^_^ -mill 



trmiiiMiiiii»««^>.^ 


H 


!i,^f^iJ'M'VVV':V.V^V 


m 




M 


11 iiiiziurnxnirTTXTTXi 






mm 



:P1 




ff^Eil 



II 



'mr 



u 



hi 



(T'^^ 



5T? 






rmTimxri 




268 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 




cal Association of the State of Iowa, and Secretary 
of tlie Des Moines Valley Medical Society, and has 
been elected to an honorary membership in the Jas- 
per County Medical Society. He is a member of the 
Masonic fraternity and a Knight Templar, also a 
member of the uniform rank of Knights of Pj-thias. 
The Doctor is an enthusiastic yet thorough student, 
a close observer, and a young man of more than 
ordinary ability, and possessing these elements is 
[j fast rising to the top round in his profession. 



NDREW .1. COMSTOCK is a farmer and 
stock-raiser on section 32, Adams Town- 
ship, now attached to Spring Creek Town- 
ship. He was born in Butler County, 
Ohio, (Jet. 30, 1828, and is a son of James T. and 

S— jy- Sarah (Wilkins) Comstoek. James T. Comstock 
} was a native of Connecticut. His father came to 
Ohio among the first settlers of that State, and lo- 
I j] :* I cated at the city of Cincinnati, while it was yet a 
igj^l]' small trading-post on the frontier. He engaged in 
ttat-boating, and generall}- made two trips each 
year to New Orleans, where, disposing of the prod- 
uce with which his t)oats were laden, he brought 
back such commodities as were needed bj' the set- 
tlers in those days, his boats being brought up the 
stream again by keel tow-boats. 
J, James T. Comstock, the father of the subject of 
n this sketch, in the year 1833, emigrated to Kos- 
ciusko County, Ind., and there built the first court- 
liouse and jail, and the first mill ever erected in 
that county. He remained there nine years, and 
ill the j'ear 1842 came to Mahaska County, Iowa, 
jMti and erected upon Skunk River what was afterward 

IH known as the Comstock Jlill, which has since been 
. .H™torn down and removed to Oskaloosa, Iowa, and 
its timbers used in the construction of the building 
now owned and operated by the Oskaloosa Oat 
Mill Company. He was a member of the Legisla- 
ture of Ohio, when the subject of this .sketch was 





!qjborn, in 1828, in which office he served two terms, 
and after removing to the State of Indiana, was 
elected one of the three Judges of the Supreme 
Court of that State, holding the office one term. 



As a public speaker, he was a mar. of fine ability 
and of established reputation in Ohio and Indiana. 
He was at one time Commander of the Ohio State 
Militia, and as a man enjoyed tiie respect and es- 
teem of all who had the pleasure of his acquaint- 
ance. He died in this township in the vear 184(), 
his wife surviving him and residing with her son 
until her decease in 1882. 

The suliject of this sketch, Andrew J. Comstock, 
was a soldier in the Mexican War, enlisting Oct. 
15, 1846, in the 14th Kentuckj' Infantry, serving 
in that war until its close in 1849, returning after 
his discharge to his home and farm, whei'e he re- 
mained until September, 1862. He organized a 
compan3' of volunteers in Oskaloosa, which was 
accepted by the (Tovernnient, and known as Co. 
C, 33d Iowa Vol. Inf. He was commissioned Cap- 
tain of the company, and was its commander in all 
the battles of the regiment up to and including the 
battle at Jenkins' Ferry, where he received a sevei-e 
gunshot wound, and was taken a prisoner by the 
enemy. The Captain was taken to Camdon, Ark., 
and held as a prisoner for six months, and was then 
sent under a flag of truce, to the Union lines, to be 
exchanged for an officer of equal rank. The ex- 
change proving a failure he was paroled and sent 
to (ien. Steele's headquarters, where he was re- 
leased and resigned his commission, and returned 
to his home. With the exception of two years, 
from 1874 to 1876, which the Captain spent at San 
Buenaventura, Cal., he has lived on his old home- 
stead in this county. It was originally a squatter's 
claim, staked out by him in April, 1844, and when 
the land came into market, was entered by him on 
a land warrant calling for 1 60 acres, which warrant 
he received for his service in the Mexican War. 
He now owns altogether 300 acres of splendid land, 
all under fence, in an excellent state of cultivation 
and with first-class improvements. Upon the farm 
are two commodious and well arranged residences, 
three ample barns, and all the necessary' out-build- 
ings and appurtenances, and a fine bearing orchard 
of 300 apple-trees. 

Capt. Comstock is one of the earliest settlers in 
this section of the State, and is a veteran of two 
wars, in lioth of which he was distinguished for 
coolness and courage under any and all cireum- 






ifaasau 



anTirTxin-iiTititiirMtniiin ^ 



Baagggaa 






I rrixTi ^ riviiiiii'-'iiifiiir 

i tHHHHea 




1^1 



Mi 






stances. There is perhaps no man in Mahaska 
Country more extensively' known than ('apt. Jack 
Comstock, and certainlj' none stand higher in tiie 
esteem of their fellow-citizens. In his political 
afliliations he is and always has been a Democrat. 
His distinguished military service is the amplest 
proof of his loyalty to the Government under 
which he lives ; and the further fact that he is not 
an odioe-seeker, is evidence that he desires to avoid 
the turmoil and strife of political life, and enjoy 
his well-earned competence in the peaceful avoca- 
tion of farming, in which he has been eminently 
successful. 



^^EN. SAMUEL ALLEN RICE was of Scotch- 
Ill (— , Irish descent, and the sixth cliild of Allen 
^^J! and Melinda (Chapman) Rice, their family 
consisting of two girls and six boys, only two of 
whom are living, !Mrs. H. B. Rice, the eldest, and 
Gen. Elliott W. Rice, both residing at Sioux City, 
Iowa. Our subject was born in Cattaraugus 
County, N. Y., Jan. 27, 1828. When he was ten 
j'ears old his parents removed to Martin's Ferry, 
Belmont Co., Ohio, where they lived for nianj- 
years, and are now at rest in the old cemeterj* at 
that place. While living at Martin's Ferry, his 
father engaged in merchandising, and also owned a 
large boat, on which he and his sons made a num- 
ber of trips down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers 
to New Orleans, and it w-as on those journeys that 
Gen. Rice obtained a knowledge of the river and 
boating, that served him to such good purpose dur- 
ing the war, while assisting in clearing the Yazoo 
Pass of obstructions in that celebrated expedition 
of the southwest. 

(ien. Rice early displayed an aptness for study 
and thought that afterw.ard so distinguished him 
in civil and military life. His first instructor was 
his sister Angeline (Mrs. II. B. Rice), who taught 
him to read, and with her assistance he completed 
the reading of the whole Bible when onl3' seven 
years old. She took great pains in teaching him 
in early years, and thereby created in his mind a 
love for study which he always retained. His 
mother and sister were zealous Christian women, 




refined and cultured, and they did all in their |J 
power to stimulate that genius in liim that, after- 
ward developed, made him so eminent at the bar 
and on the field. After attending the public 
schools at h<ime .MMd tlie Academy in Wheeling, Va., 
he entered Franklin College, at Athens, Ohio, and 
from there went to Union College, New York, 
where he completed tlie classical course and grad- 
uated in the class of 1 849. He spent one 3'ear in 
the law department of that institution, and then' 
came West, first stopping at Fairfield, Iowa, where 
he entered the office of Slagle & Atchison, and re- 
mained one year. In the fall of 18.51 he located 
in Oskaloosa, Iowa, and actively began the prac- 
tice of his chosen profession with zeal and a deter- 
mination to win. In the f:dl of 18.53 he was elected 
Prosecuting Attorney of Maliaska County, which 
was the first office held by him. 

Having firmly established himself in business, 
Mr. Rice returned to JIartin's Ferrj- and married 
Miss Louisa M. Alexander, the eldest daughter of 
Rev. James Alexander, D. D., of Virginia, a Christ- 
ian lady of strong mind and great force of char- 
acter, and with his bride at once returned to Oska- 
loosa. and built the home in which the widow and 
family still reside. As a fruit of that marriage five 
children were born, four of whom are now living — 
James A., Emory C, Frank S. and Nettie L. The 
youngest, Lua, joined her father eleven months 
after his decease. 

Gen. Rice so ably filled the position of Countj' 
Attorney that in the fall of 18.5C the people called 
him to the more exalte'd position of Attorney Gen- ^gj . 
eral of the State of Iowa, to which position he was r!':^ 
re-elected in 18r)H, and retained the office until the "' t 
spring of 18G0. During the summer of 18G2 he 
organized the .3;3d Iowa Infantry, of which Gov. 
Samuel J. Kirkwood commissioned him Colonel, 
Aug. 10, 1862, and in November of that j'ear he 
took his regiment to St. Louis. In the spring of 
1 8(>3 he went with his command to Helena, Ark., 
and immediatelj- began to clear the Yazoo Pass of 
obstructions and open it up for navigation. This 
required a month of arduous and very dangerous 
service. Jul3- 4, 18(J3, the battle of Helena was 
fought, in which Col. Rice and his regiment bore a 
conspicuous part. This w.as a most important en- 



m 

I 

m 



11 



in 
JP 

mm 




3i3iSixv 



I btuxixxxuxxzixjixtttrji 



tfnWJ itttittJTizittitt-iimui. 



r XXIX Rji jLUixixxxx niixx ixii 1-1 



I rxxrox ixxruixx jmm mil 






I 



270 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



i 






1^% 

i i 



gagement, because Helena, with its Government | 
stores, was saved to tlie Union, and tlie rebels were ! 
very much discouraged in not regaining their lost 
territory on the west side of the river. Gen. Rice's 
command saved that place from capture, and he 
displayed a coolness, courage and tact during the 
engagement that gave him a star upon his shoulder. 
This liattlc lasted from early morning until 11 
o'clock A. M., when the rebels precipitately re- 
treated, leaving many dead and wounded upon the 
field. In August, 1803. he received his commis- 
sion as Brigadier General of Volunteers. He was 
with Gen. Fred Steele when he captured Little 
Rocli, and his command assisted in the construction 
(if the fortification around that city. He also ac- 
companied Gen. Steele on his campaign into South- 
western Arkansas. During that campaign his com- 
mand met the rebels at Terre Noir Creek, Elkin's 



g_--h i Ford, Prairie D'Anne and Camden. In the en- 
oagement on the Little ^lissouri. Gen. Rice re- 



I 



1 



1; 

ii 



n 



ceived a severe scalp wound, a minie ball passing- 
through his hat. He remarked that he feared his 
hat was spoiled. The expedition from the time it 
left Little Rock, until it i-eached the Saline River, 
was one continuous engagement, and April 30, 
1864, it culminated in the desperate and bloody 
liattle at Jenkins" Ferry, which can truthfully be 
called the great battle of Arkansas. 

Gen. Steele's arnn', on their retreat, reached the 
Saline River bottom on the afternoon of April 29, 
18G4, with Gens. Kirby, Smith, Price and JLarma- 
duke close in pursuit, with over "20,000 Confeder- 
p3ll ate soldiers flushed with their recent victory over. 
I Gen. Banks, on the Red River. They were deter- 
1 I mined to crush Gen. Steele's army and again place 
lU Arkansas in possession of the rebel forces. Gen. 
MsS_ Steele laid his pontoon bridge across the Saline 
River, and began crossing his train in the afternoon, 
but on account of a heavy rain which set in soon 
after, his progress was greatly impeded, and though 
t^ they continued to cross all night, morning found 
yet a large portion of tlie train on the south side 
of the river, the rain pouring in torrents, and the 
tiHHHKj entire river bottom submerged. His army was 
i| wear}', hungry and short of rations. About 2 
V. o'clock on the morning of April 30, (ien. Steele 
l! sent for Gen. Rice to meet him at the Widow Jen- 




kin's cabin. (God bless the old lady, she still lives, 
and the writer saw and conversed with her about 
the liattle last April.) Here Gen. Steele said, " The 
enemy will attack us in force at daylight, and 1 
look to j'ou, Gen. Rice, to hold them in check until 
the remainder of the army can get across on the 
pontoon." This Gen. Rice cheerfullj' consented to 
do, and with a force of 4,000 as brave men as ever 
wore the blue, held Gen. Kirby Smith in check, 
with his arm}' of over '20,000 as determined and 
resolute men as ever wore the gray, from 5 o'clock 
in tbe morning until noon, when, after making three 
desperate charges, the last one with the fresh troops 
of Walker's division of Texans, who arrived at 11 
o'ch>ck, the enemj^ retreated, Steele's arm}' crossed 
the Saline River, and Arlcansas was saved. It was 
a dearly won victory, for over 500 of that little 
force lay dead or dying upon that field of carnage, 
their bodies intermingled with 2,000 Confederate 
dead. Three confederate Genei'als, Wall, Randal 
and Scurry, were among the slain on that memor- 
able field. Our boys held the field in a drenching 
rain, many of them standing in water waist deep, 
and ail of them had been without food since the 
day before. Some of them fired 200 rounds of 
ammunition. When we consider the number en- 
gaged, this was one of the most sanguinary battles 
of the war. Gen. Solomon, who commanded a 
division in Steele's army, in his report of this bat- 
tle, gives the Union loss as 521 and Confederate 
loss about 2,000. In speaking of this battle, a Con- 
federate Captain of Walker's division says : " Our 
laurels, if we wore any from that field, were crim- 
soned with the blood of over 1,500 of our bravest 
men. No more destructive battle is recorded in 
the bloody pages of our country's history." 

Gen. Rice had command of the field that day, 
and his coolness and good judgment in selecting 
the battle-ground fli^nked by Coze's Creek, a deep 
and rapid stream, on the right, and a then impen- 
etrable swamp and morass (made so by the inces- 
sant rain) on his left, together with the heroic 
bravery of the men who fought that battle, saved 
Steele's army and the State of Arkansas to the 
Union cause. The battles of Helena and Jenkins' 
Ferrv have never had the place in history that 
their importance entitled them to, because, as be- 




iiHecZ^i 




sa 



Hi 






1? 



1? 






\~.Z 












I; : 

i 



Ki :. 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



271 



fore stated, they were overshadowed at tlie time by 
the great battles of the Eastern army, where tlie 
casualties were greater in number, but not in pro- 
portion to the number eng.nged, nor more import- 
ant in results. During the last charge of tlie rebels, 
about 11 :45 A. M., Gen. Rice received the wound 
which caused his death. A minie ball passed 
through his right ankle, carrying into the wound 
the rim of a brass spur buckle, from the effects of 
which he died at his home, .Inly (i, l.S(i4, in full 
possession of all his faculties to the last moment^ 
surrounded by his family and friends, and with the 
bright hope of a glorious immortality beyond this 
life. 

Gen. Solomon, in his official I'cport of the battle 
says : " Brig. Gen. S. A. Rice merits special men- 
tion, not only for conspicuous gallantry, and cool 
and correct judgment in action, but also for his 
continual personal attention to his command. 
During the entire expedition his services have been 
invaluable, and it is not without reluctance that I 
am obliged to part with him, even temporarily." 

Gallant Maj. John F. Lace\% Gen. Rice's Adju- 
tant General, whose rapid and accurate transmis- 
sion of orders that day won the confidence and ad- 
miration of all, in speaking of the battle says: 
'• Without deducting from the glory of the other 
commanders, we may properly say that to Gen. S. 
A. Rice, more tlian to anyone else, was due the re- 
sults of this da}-. A victory was dearly won that 
cost the nation a life as noble as his." 

(ien. Rice's genius was not confined to military 
life alone, for in civil life, he was even more dis- 
tinguished as a lawyer, and respected and honored 
as a citizen. When his death was announced at 
Des Moines, the Supreme Court of Iowa, then in 
session, passed touching resolutions and ordered 
them spread upon the records. 

Among other eminent lawyers, lion. Chief .Jus- 
tice (xeorge G. AVright, Hon. Thomas F. Withrow 
and Hon. William H. Seevers delivered touching 
eulogies upon his life and public services. Gen. 
Rice's remains lie at rest in Forest Cemetery just 
beyond the city limits of Oskaloosa, and over his 
grave the gallant 2'Jth and ;:i.'id Iowa Regiments of 
" Rice's Brigade." have erected a beautiful marble 
shaft, thirty feet in height, upon which is inscribed 



the names of the battles he fi night. Perched upon 
the top is an American eagle, looking awa}- toward 
the sunnj' Soutii, where Gen. Rice poured out liis 
life blood that the nation might have a new birth 
of liberty and freedom. Camp No. 48, Sons of 
A'eterans. at Oskaloosa, bears the name of this dis- 
tinguished soldier and citizen. 

Tile L'liief characteristics of (ien. Rice were cool- 
ness, courage, sound judgment, good common 
sense and great integrity and purity of character. 
To these virtues he united courtesy and kindness, 
which made him greatly beloved and respected by 
•all who knew him, so much so that in the thirty- 
six years he lived on earth he made for himself a 
reiHitation tliat is imperishable, and which the 
touch of time will scarcely efface. 



w 
m. 



!ti 111 



^- 



-€^B- 



H 



>vi]OHN LONti, brick and tile maker, of Oska- 
I loosa, was born in Yorkshire, P^ngland, Dec. 
12, 1812, and is a son of Christopher .and 
Ann (Dunning) Long, who were the parents 
of six sons, viz : William, who came to America 
in 1 838, but has never been heard from since ; 
Robert, of Durham, England; Thomas and Chris- 
topher, of Yorkshire, England ; James, who died in 
infancy; and the subject of this sketch. 

John Long came to America in 1868, lauding in 
the city of New York, August 30, and going imme- 
diately to Schuylkill County, Pa., where he en- 
gaged in the manufacture of brick for three years. 
In 1871 he came to Iowa on a tour of inspection 
of this beautiful land, but retiu'ned to Pennsylvania, 
where he remained until 1876, during which year 
he came to Oskaloosa and engaged in the manu- 
facture of brick and tile, and was the first manu- 
facturer of the latter commodity in this county. 

Mr. Long was married in England, Aug. 30, 1838, 
to Miss Elizabeth Dowson, who was born in York- 
shire, April 30, 1820. By this union there were 
nine children, six sons and three daughters, seven 
of whom are living: William was killed in a coal 
mine in 8chu\-lkill Count}-, Pa.; John D. lives at 
Oskaloosa; Ann is the n-ife of James Roberts, of 
Cheyenne Count}', Kan. ; Edward is living in .Schuyl- 
kill County, Pa., and is a minister of the Methodist 



m-M 



mm 



wm 



m 



^"^ 



'^Q^fflUiij 




h 272 



.' i%*!y j'"[i» DLlJTxri:rixilx i3rix.i] 

MAHASKA COUNTY 







irixiiTxitxxiiiiiiiircrrxiijmi- i ti^_i^ .^ 




Of 



LJf Township, 
Vy\^ residiuo' on 



Episcopal Ctiiirch; Maiy is the wife of Dr. A. 
Elder; Thomas is a member of the firm of Long cfe 
Son, of this city; James died in Einuland in 1879; 
Henry is a resident of this county; Hannah is the 
wife of Joseph (iesford, carpenter and joiner, also 
of this county. 

Our snliject-and wife are members of the Method- 
ist Episcopal Cliurch, where all of the family- wor- 
ship. Mr. and Mrs. Long have lived together over 
forty-eight years, enjoying in all these daj'S good 
health and a reasonable degree of prosperity. They 
are estimable people, and are regardo<l with respect 
and esteem bv all who know them. 



f?ILLIAM JENNINGS, of Spring Creek 
is a farmer and stock-raiser, 
on section 33. He was born in 
Lee County, 111., Nov. 13, 1801, and is a son of 
William and Julia (Long) Jennings. The first-named 
is a native of Ireland, who removed from Lee 
County, 111., in 1808, settling in Harrison Town- 
ship, this county, where he still lives, and pursues 
the occupation of farming. The latter was a native 
of Pennsylvania, and died Dec. 19, 1875. The 
subject of this sketch is the elder of a family of 
two bo3's. In the fall of 1883 he moved to his 
present farm in Spring Creek Townshiis, where he 
pursues the occupation of general farming and 
stock-raising. 

Dec. .'), 1883, Mr. Jennings was united in mar- 
riage to Miss Mary Gajlord, a daughter of Homer 
and Louisa (Chaderton) Gaylord. She was born 
in Syracuse, Jan. 31, 1801. To them have been 
born two children: Harry W., Sept. 12, 1884, and 
Arthur C, in September, 188G. The father of Mrs. 
Jennings was born in East Bloomfield, Ontario 
Co., N. Y., March 14, 1826, came to Burlington, 
Iowa, in March, 1855, and engaged in the furniture 
and upholstering business until 1858, when he re- 
moved to Missouri, thence to Wapello County, 
Iowa, thence to jNIahaska County, where he and 
his wife now reside. They are members of the 
Congregational Chur(;h. 

Mr. Jennings owns eighty acres of excellent 
land, all of which is in a good state of cultivation, 




and well improved. Our subject is a Democrat, 
greatly devoted to the interests and success of that 
party. He is a man of very positive convictions 
upon all subjects, and equally as decided in the ex- 
pression of his views. He has made a success of 
his business enterprises by untiring energ}' and in- 
dustry, and deserves and receives the commendation 
of his friends. ]Mrs. Jennings is a member of the 
Congi'egational Chui-ch. 



<|i )|TLLIAiM R. NELSON, of the firm of Nel- 
\sJI son & Williams, attorneys at law, Oska- 
W^ loosa, has been a resident of ^lahaska 
County for seventeen years, and of the city of 
Oskaloosa for six years. He was born in Greene 
County, Pa., May 7, 1858, and is a son of Samuel 
and Margaret (Grim) Nelson, both natives of Penn, 
sylvaula, the father being a farmer b3' vocation. 
William R. was reared on his father's farm and re- 
ceived his rudinieutarj' education in the common 
schools. When fifteen years of age he began buy- 
ing stock for his father, and was thus occupied, to- 
gether with assisting in the labors on the farm, 
until twentj'-one years old. He then, without a 
dollar, began farming for himself, and subsequently 
engaged in the stock business, which he followed in 
the States of Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas, meeting 
with signal success, but finally lost heavily. His 
education had been supplemented by a course of 
study at Oskaloosa College and the Iowa State 
Universitj'. Coming to this State in 1809 he made 
his home on the Des Moines River in Scott Town- 
ship, this count}', one year, then lived in White 
Oak Township with his parents, thence went to 
Leigh ton, and in 1880 moved to Oskaloosa. It 
was during that year that he entered upon the 
study of the law under the instruction of F. M. 
Davenport, an attorney of that city, and subse- 
quently in the office of Bolton <fe McCoy. He was 
admitted to the bar Aug. 20. 1882, and at once en- 
tered upon the practice of his profession in tliat 
city. 

Nov. 10, 1885, Mr. Nelson formed a partnership 
with J. C. Williams, which still exists. The com- 
pany is a strong one, and is composed of men of 





^i^ 



■B: 



&*' -■ ^ -^-i 



^"7*-- 







\ 1% 




<y^jLtJl^Ui 




/^., 



:V^ 







</4i, cAJ J/Um. 



eg;-: 
I : 
I .: 
I ; 

I : 
I •: 
I : 

I.: 

\i 

1 : 
I : 

1.";: 



ilMitf riirtiumiiii 



< pi luaLaxit-jgxxptimiltiLiixym' 




MAHASKA COUNTY. 



277 




energy and ability, both of whom arc hard students 
and tindoiilitodly have a bright future before them. 
Our .-subject was married, Sopt. 2;3, 1S8.T, at Oska- 
loosa, to Miss Anna H. Hicks. She was born in 
Germany, and cmii>rated to the United States with 
iicr parents in infanc3'. In polities Mr. Nelson is a 
Oreenbacker. Socially he is a member of the 
order of the Knights of the Golden Rule. Mrs. 
Nelson I)elongs to the Presbj'terian Church. 

S. NICHOLS, deceased, a former resident 
of Oskahxtsa, was a native of Highland 
iK County, Ohio, where he was born Dec. 25, 
^' isil. He was the son of Thomas and 

Martha Nichols, who resided upon a farm in that 
county. Here young Nichols gi-ew to manhood, re- 
ceiving his education in subscription schools held 
during the winter, and working upon his father's 
farm during the siMunier months, until he was seven- 
teen j'ears old, when he was apprenticed to the 
trade of blacksmith. He served a full three years' 
apprenticeship at this trade, receiving as his only 
compensation his board and clothing. 

He was married in Springfield, Clarke Co., 
Ohio, to Miss Mary Edgar, the daughter of .Tames 
and Margaret Kdgar. Her father was a native of 
Penns3'lvania. and her mother of Ireland, where she 
was left an orphan wiien quite young, and when 
about fifteen she emigrated to this country. They 
were married in Penns^ivania, Feb. 13, 1813, and 
in 1816 emigrated to Wooster, Wayne Co., Ohio. 
The3" were the parcMits of eight children, two of 
them born in Indiana County, Pa. : JIary, Dec. 8, 
1813; Catherine I., July 18, 1815, now the wife of 
Hezekiah Snowden, of Oskaloosa. Those born in 
Wooster, Ohio, were: Emily, now deceased, was the 
wife of M. M. Marion; Sarah .1., deceased, was 
twice married, first to Thomas Shei)herd, and sub- 
sequently to T. D. Porter; Noble Johnson. dcce:ised, 
died in Jasper County; James died in Smith 
Count}', Kan.; William was born in Highland 
County. The parents were raemliers of the Method- 
ist Protestant Church from childhood, and were 
highh- respected in the county where they resided. 



In 1843 they came to Iowa, and in 1844 to Oska- 
Ibosa. Mrs. Edgar died in this city April 28, 1851, 
and Ml-. Edgar Oct. 30, 1805. He was a man of 
large information upon all matters pertaining to the 
county. State and nation. In e.-ulj' life an old-line 
Whig, he alliliated with the Republican part}' upon 
its organization, and tiK)k an active interest in its 
success to the time of his decease. 

Mr. and Mrs. Nichols were married July 10, 1833, 
in Springfield, Ohio. In 1837 they moved to Knox 
County, 111., making the trip b}' team and camping 
out along the road, remaining in this county for 
several years. On the 1st of May, 1843, Mr. Nich- 
ols came to what was called the New Purchase, in 
Iowa, and staked oil' a claim on the beautiful prai- 
rie in Harrison Township, near Kirkville. Here he 
built a cabin and made improvements upon his land : 
here was i)lanted the lirst orchard in ^Mahaska 
Count\', and he built the first blacksmith-shop and 
did the first blacksmithing done in the county. 
In the fall of 1844 he moved to Oskaloosa, and was 
elected a member of its first Board of County Com- 
missioners, and by them was chosen Chairman of 
the Board; and was also one of the Commissioners 
in the location of the county seat. Mr. Nichols 
was a man of retiring disposition, who avoided all 
pomp and show, aud was averse to accepting an}- 
offices, though frequcntl}' tendered him bj' his fel- 
low-citizens. He derived his greatest pleasure in 
the eujo3-meut of the quiet of his home. Soon after 
coming to Oskaloosa he established a blacksmith- 
shop, the business of which he followed up to 185C. 
After a period of rest from his arduous labors he 
established the Oskaloo.sa Nursery in 1860, which 
business he prosecuted up to 1873. 

In 1872 Mr. and Mrs. Nichols visited California 
in the hope of restoring his health which had begun 
to fail, and again in October, 1881, he went to Cali- 
fornia, and on returning from there gave up all act- 
ive business, aud enjoyed the retirement of his 
|)leasant home in the western part of the cit}'. For 
many years he was a member of the Methodist 
Church, but in later 3'ears united with the Congre- 
gational Church, of which he w.as a revered and be- 
loved member at the time of his death, which took 
place at his home in Oskaloosa. June 27, 1886. 
.Mrs. Nichols still survives, and resides in Oskaloosa. 



s^-^- 




i»' r 



feJi 





IS3 



"M™2!i 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



luitinrirrrirrrj njcranr-. 



IrirximxrxixnrraiixxiiTTTT i 



m 



They reared four children : Mary and Florence 
Recce, W. E. Shepherd, of California, and Alice 
Edgar. Mary is the wife of William M. Springer, 
and Florence the wife of C. T. Willard, both resi- 
dents of this city. Mr. Shepherd married Theo- 
dosia B. Hall, of Burlington. 

No man ever enjojed the respect and esteem of 
his fellow-citizens more than the subject of this 
sketch. He was the soul of honur. In all transac- 
tions with his fellow-men his word was as current 
as his bond, and both were as good as gold. He 
was the soul of generosity, and his benevolence was 
only limited by his means. He was also liberal in 
all matters that had for their object the advance- 
ment of the interests of his town and county. It 
may be truly said of him that enemies he had none, 
while his friends were limited only by the number 
of those who knew him. 

The pul)lishers of this work are pleased to pre- 
sent in their galaxj- of portraits, those of Mr. and 
Mrs. Nichols. 



'^OIIN HOWARD is a farmer and stock-raiser 
on section 27, Spring Creek Township. He 
was born in Jefferson County, Tenn., ^March 
10, 1812, and is the son of Robert and Tat- 
sey (Blackburn) Howard, botli natives of A'irginia. 
Robert Howard was a soldier under Gen. Jackson 
in the War of 1812, and both himself and wife 
died in the State of Tennessee. 

The subject of this sketch, John Howard, was 
married to Susanna Wright Jan. 8, 1832, and to 
them three children were born — Hepzibah, Emeline 
and Sarah. The mother died Maj' 15, 1840, in the 
State of Illinois, and March 10, 1841, he was again 
married, to Anna Canada, and to them were born 
two children — William R. and Richard. Their 
mother died in Iowa, April 4, 1854, and Sept. 10, 
1855, he espoused as his third wife Rachel Hull, 
and to them three children were born — Alartha, 
Anna and Alar}'. 

Mr. Howard removed from Tennessee to Illinois 
in 1829, remaining there until 1845, during which 
year he came to Keokuk County, Iowa, and so- 



journed until the year 1854, thence went to Jeffer- 
son County, Iowa, where he resided until 1866, 
when he moved back to his old home in Vermilion 
Count}^ 111., remaining there until 1880, when he 
came back to Iowa and purchased land in Spring 
Creek Township, which he sold in 1882 to the C, 
M. & St. P. R. R. Co., and in 1883 bought his 
present home, consisting of eighty acres of fertile 
land, which is in good cultivation, has the best of 
improvements, and is in ever}' respect a first-class 
farm. Mr. and Mrs. Howard are members of the 
Society cif Friends, of which religious organization 
he has been a zealous minister for over forty j'ears 



VILLIAM S. EUGAR, deceased, a pioneer 
of Mahaska County, was born in Spring- 
field, Ohio, Aug. 16, 1825. He was the 
son of James and Margaret Edgar, who came to 
Iowa in 1844, and settled in Cedar Township, Ma- 
haska Count}', when William S. was quite a young 
man. Here he. assisted his father in tilling the soil, 
receiving such education as the common schools of 
that day afforded. He was in reality a self-edu- 
cated man, was a great reader, a close student, and 
possessed a wonderful memor}-. In 1845 he came 
to (Jskaloosa with his parents, when his father, who 
was a carpenter and joiner, built the first court- 
house for the county. Soon after coming to the 
city he started tlie first harness-shop in the county, 
and conducted the business for some time. He 
was subsequently . appointed Deputy Clerk of 
Courts, under Hon. M. T. Williams, serving in that 
capacity two years, when he was elected Clerk of 
the Courts for four terms, proving himself an 
efficient otlieor, his management of the office being 
creditable alike to himself and his friends. 

Mr. Edgar wiis married, Oct. 20, 1851, to Miss 
Sarah M. Kinsman, a lady of English descent, and 
a daughter of Melitiah Kinsman. He was born in 
Nova Scotia, and, when a young man, removed to 
Susquehanna County, Pa., where he engaged in 
blacksmithing. Here he became acquainted with 
and was married to Miss Rhoda AV right. Six chil- 
dren were born to them, three sous and three 
daughters: Orson, deceased, came West at an early 




Kf- TiixjlH jtirirrixn AJi-iiiii y 

CTIITI ^ TTtli"! I XXTliTTT ViTiJyTnl U 



r«»»gTrTiTxrfiBmji,xn 







gday, when Iowa was a Territory; lu' Imilt. niid was 
^proprietor of tiie first hotel in Osicaloosa, where he 
flived for many years. .leriisha was married in 
}:|Pennsylvaiiia to a man hy tiie name of Sherman 
SfcCaiifield, who settled in \\'iute Oak Township, 5Ia- 
ghaska County, at an early day ; Mr. Canlield died 
in this county several .years ago. Tirzah married 
Elijah Canfield, and resides in Polk Count}', Iowa; 
Melitiah is a farmer, residing in White Oak Town- 
ship, this countj' ; John N. is railroad agent at 
Cedar, a station on the B. <fe W. R. R. ; Sarah M. 
?Eresides in Oskaloosa. Mr. Kinsman died in Siis- 
iquehanna County, I'a., about 1830. The children, 
isoon after his decease, came West and settled in 
hiicMahaska County, Iowa, the mother coming with 



m 



131 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



279 



'ijgthem, and residing with her daughter, Mrs. W. S. 
I Edgar, until her death, in 18G6. Mr. and Mrs. 
:;EKinsman were members of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church from earl}' life. 
?|:}E Mr. and Mrs. Edgar became the parents of five 
jEehildren, all of whom are living: Lillis J., born 
v^.Tuly :30, 1853, is the wife of James Root, now en- 
gaged in the marble business at Washington, Kan.; 
[^Owen N., born Nov. •2(j, 18.55, is engaged in the 
[^hardware business in Washington County, Kan.; 
Oscar 8., born July "26, 1857, is Assistant Superin- 
tendent of the Standard Coal Company of this 
city; Sallie B., born March 8, 1860, is the wife of 
ilgRev. William M. Semones, of the Christian Church 
ipof Oskaloosa; Jessie ]M., born Aug. 4, 18G2, is the 
Swife of Prof. H. S. Phillips, late of the Faculty of 
iSOskaloosa College, now Principal of the High 
;:S School of Oskaloosa. 

ij:'| After retiring from the Clerk's otlice ^Ir. Edgar 

engaged in the nursery business, which he followed 

iBEfor several years, lie w.as an active workino- mem- 

laSber of the Republican l)arty, representing it fre- 

IjCquently in its conventions, county, judicial, district 

itand State. He was Secretary of the JIahaska 

iliiCounty Agricultural Society for several years, in 

the success of which he took an active and deep in- 

. terest. He was a man small in stature, but of 

Its 

"'^Sgreat vigor and full of life, and so continued until 

Eafflicted with the disease which carried him away. 

; He was a Master Mason, and one of the first ini- 

Jtiates after the organization of a Masonic lodge in 

;this city, and was also a member of Hiram Chapter 



No. 26, of this city, and upon his decease was 
buried l)y that order, witli all the honors to which 
his rank entitled him. 

In every avocation of life Mr. Edgar measured 
up to the fidl stature of the perfect man. As a 
county olHcial the records kept during his term of 
office are a monument to his ability in this particu- 
l;ir. In society he was a genial, social gentleman; 
at his home a loving husband and indulgent father; 
in his church, an acceptable and active member; 
and by all who knew him he was a man greatly es- 
teemed for his noble qualities of head and heart. 
Mr. and Mrs. Edgar were members of the Congi-e- 
gational Church. His widow still survives, and 
lives in Oskaloosa, where she is highly respected by 
all who know her. 



"ir^ 



JS3SS3SS 



Mi^svs- 




^OHN B. GOSSAGE, proprietor of the Black- 
stone House, at Oskaloosa, was born in this 
city, Aug. 22, 1845, and was the second 
male child born .at this place. He is a son of 
Samue! and Lucinda (Glasscock) Gossage, who 
were among the first settlers of Oskaloosa. and set- 
tled here in the year 1842 or 1843. His father was 
a native of Ohio, and was born near Columbus, 
but removed from there to Shawneetown, 111., where 
he resided for a short time. Mr. and ]Mrs. Gossage 
were the parents of nine children, six now living: 
Elizabeth, wife of J. Warmau, of Ottumwa, this 
State: Mary, wife of J. M. Hoskinson, of Monroe 
County, Iowa; John B., our subject; Jerome B., of 
Ottumwa; Thomas B., of Hebron, Neb.; Joseph 
M., also of Nebraska. Samuel Gossage was a cab- 
inet-maker, .and operated the first shop for that class 
of work in the city of Oskaloosa. He was one of 
the mechanics engaged in the construction of the 
first flouriug-mill upon the Skunk River, known as the 
Duncan Mill, and also assisted in building the first 
flouring-mill in the city of Oskaloosa. Mr. (ios- 
sage was a Democrat of the Jacksoiiian school of 
politics. He died in this city in isjso. Mrs. (ios- 
sage is still living at Ottumwa, this State. They 
were both members of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. 

The subject of this sketch, when five years old, 



LJ :■ 111, 
ill 



-TXTZXUlin 



iSlSSiHo^ 




i:rrm rrjTi^ 



niii.. orr 




I U.' I X_I_1 1_X1_I XJ II J_I IXXXIJ.XXII 



mtxnrrrxxi rm rrrm rm t 



m 






280 



in 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



went with his parents to Alljin. Monroe Co.. Iowa, 
and received hi.s education in the common schools 
of that eitj'. In 1800 his father removed to C)t- 
tiimwa, and engaged in Imsiness, John B. being 
employed as salesman. In l.sfU he enlisted in the 
47th Iowa Infantr3', which was sent to Helena, 
Ark., for the purposes of guard duty. He partici- 
pated in one engagement with his regiment, but 
having lost his health after a service of 100 days, 
was discharged from service and returned to his 
home at Ottumwa, where he lay ill for one year. 

Mr. Gossage was married in 1868 to Miss Annie 
Southard, who died one and a half 3'ears after their 
marriage. He was again married, June 19, 1880, 
to Miss Jennie Gillett, a native of Wisconsin. At 
the time of the big fire in Ottumwa, in the year 
18G8, he lost his stock of goods and all his propert3\ 
Following this loss he accepted a situation as travel- 
ing salesman for a St. Louis establishment, which 
business he followed one year. In 1809 he removed 
to California, where he engaged in hotel-keeping at 
Santa Rosa for one year, sold out there, and re- 
moved to San Francisco, engaging in the same line 
of business for a like period. Following his hotel 
experience he engaged in buying and shipping 
stock in Nevada, which he continued to do for 
twelve years. In 1880 the death of his father 
necessitated his return to Iowa. In 1881 he re- 
moved to Minnesota, and engaged in railroading, 
and at Minneapolis officiated as clerk in a hotel. 
From there he removed to Dubuque, Iowa, pursued 
railroading for a time, and thence came to (Jska- 
loosa, where he now resides. 

Mr. Gossage is the oldest settler now living who 
was Ijorn in Oskaloosa. Samuel Gossage, father of 
our subject, was Mayor of the city of Ottumwa for 
eight years, and was once elected to the Legislature 
of the State from Monroe County, Iowa, and was 
the first Democrat ever elected to that position 
from that district. He was a great admirer of 
Stephen A. Douglas, and an ardent supporter of 
the Union cause during the Civil War. 

The subject of this sketch is a man who has 
traveled extensively over the entire West, and has 
observed its many changes and transformations 
from the great American desert of the early geog- 
raphers to a land flowing with milk and honey. 




His present home was, at the time of his birth, the 
abode of the red man, who roamed at will over its 
vast expanse of prairie. Having viewed all other 
lauds, he is now content to abide in the garden 
spot of Iowa, and among a host of friends and 
acquaintances, whose respect and esteem he enjoys. 



R. GEORGF J. TURNER, engaged in 
practice at Oskaloosa, was born in Paris, 
France, of English parents, Dec. 9, 1836. 
He went to Eugland with his parents when 
three years of age, and when twelve years old re- 
turned to France, and one year later took to the 
sea, engaging in the English and American mer- 
chant service. While thus engaged he sailed to all 
the principal ports of the civilized world, and con- 
tinued to follow the sea until eighteen 3'ears of age. 
It was at this age that he conceived the idea of be- 
coming a medical practitioner, and at once set 
about educating himself for that purpose. 

Arriving in this country he located at Quincy, 
111., in 1854, and attended the Illinois Liberal In- 
stitute, afterward known as the Lombard Univer- 
sity, of Galesburg, and graduated therefrom in the 
class of 1862. He afterward continued his studies 
in the Washington Uiuversity of St. Louis, Mo., 
and graduated from the Cincinnati Medical College 
in the class of 1874. Commencing practice at 
Spring Hill, Champaign Co., Ohio, he met with suc- 
cess, and after continuing there for a time removed 
to Atlanta, Logan Co., 111., where he followed the 
practice of his profession until the fall of 1880. 
He then came to Oskaloosa and engaged in prac- 
tice, and has continued here until the present time. 
By carefully diagnosing his cases, and treating his 
patients with that skill which years of practice and 
study enable him to bring to bear, he has not only 
met with success as regards his treatment but has 
been enabled to establish a good and pa}ang prac- 
tice. 

Dr. Turner was at one time engaged in teaching 
in Lombard University, Galesburg ; was also Super- 
intendent of Sidney public schools, Ohio, and 
the Atlanta and Heiiry public schools, III. He was 
a soldier in the late Civil War. enlisting in the 



?^i 



3f I 



it 

551 



It 

at I 

It 










I M rm rra I m rrn-n 






■rrmti rm rt iTTT»T IT 




MAHASKA COUNTY. 



mi 



1 
If 

I: 

i| 

1^ 

\ 

\ 

1 

1 

1 c 

I c 

I 

I 

I V 

1 
1 
1 



\n 



17th Illinois C'avaliy, under Col. Beverage, at St. 
Charles. 111., in December, l.SC-i, and served until 
the close of the war. Dr. Turner was married at 
Clinton, 111., Dec. 25, 1870, to Miss llattie. daugh- 
ter of Matthew Crctcher, of Champaign Count}'', 
Ohio, where Mrs. Turner was horn. Thej' have 
t wo daughters, Blanche P. and Grace E. The Doc- 
lor and wife are members of the Methodist Ei)is- 
copal Claireh, and in politics he votes with the Re- 
publican party. 



i| 

131 

I 

ti 

1 

1 
I 

i; 

i;f 
I 



■ .^-^^=^-^ 



-0Hs3.(i>- 



G 



& Co. 



\V. FORD is one of the proprietors of the 
ci'eamery at Rose Hill, Iowa, at present op- 
erated under the firm name and st\ie of Ford 
He was born in Linn County, Iowa, Nov. 
l.S, ISGS, and is the son of Eros and Mary (Hal- 
stead) F'ord. The latter is deceased, Imt the 
former still resides in Linn Count\' and pursues 
the occupation of farming. The subject of this 
sketch, C. W. F'ord, came to his present location in 
March, 1 SfSG. The creamery just established at 
Rose Hill is a new enterprise, and the liuilding, 
machinery and all attacliinents are new and good. 
The churning is at present done by horse-power. 
The routes for cream are hardly j-et fairlj- es- 
tablished, but the field is a good one, and the en- 
terprise is in the hands of young men of sterling 
tjsc worth, thoroughly competent in every detail of the 
business, and thej' expect to manufacture an aver- 
age of 2,000 pounds of butter per week, taking the 
season through. 




ANIEL DAVIS, of the Ihni of Carroll ct 

l)avis,attorne3-s at Oskaloosa, was born in 

Monroe County, Iowa, Aug. 24, 1<<.">^!, and 

is a son of David and Margaret (.lenkins) 

Davis, natives of Wales, for biographj' of whom 

see elsewhere in this volume. The subject of this 

if-E sketch was reared in Maiiaskji County, coming here 

when only seven years old. His early education 

was received in the common schools at Beacon, but 

he afterward attended Oskaloosa College, and has 



it 



!fH 






iliiiiiiiimiiiii 




attained liberal acquirements therebj". When 
twenty-one j'ears old he entered the law-ollice of 
F. M. Davenport, I'Csq., of this city, and after a 
period of close application and hard study, and hav- 
ing passed the most commendable examination, was 
.admitted to the bar, Dec. IG, 1882. 

Soon after his admission Mr. Davis formed a 
partnership with John IT. James, under the firm 
name of James & Davis, at Marengo, Iowa, where 
after a period of one year that partnership was dis- 
solved, and he came to Oskaloosa, and became a 
member of the firm of Carroll, Davis & Evans, with 
offices at Oskaloosa and New Sharon. In 188.5, 
Mr. Evans, at New Sharon, retired from the firm, 
and Messrs. Carroll cfe Davis continue the business at 
Oskaloosa. The firm occupies a prominent position 
among the younger legal firms of Oskaloosa, and is 
building up a practice which is flattering to their 
ability as lawyers, and financiallj* remunerati\e. In 
March, 1886, Mr. Davis was elected to the office of 
City Solicitor, which office he now holds. Politi- 
cally' he is a stanch Republican, and cast his first 
presidential vote for James A. Garfield. It is easy 
to predict the future of a .young man of the ability, 
application and industry of Mr. Davis. Such men 
rarel}' fail of reaching to the summit of their am- 
bition in the profession of theii^choice. 

17 lElJT. ROBERT KISSICK, attorney at law, 
Oskaloosa, is a native of Mercer Count}-, 
Pa., and was born May 4, 1843. His father, 
Thomas Kissick, was a native of Ireland, and came 
with his parents to Pittsburgh, Pa., when sixteen 
j'eai's old, and was emplo3'ed as molder in a foun- 
dry in that city and resided there for ten j'ears, lisis] 
whence he went to Ohio and worked on a farm in 
Stark County. From Ohio he returned to Pennsyl- 
vania, and became acquainted with, and was mar- 
ried to, in 1S3U, IMiss Mary A. Lalferty, a native 
of Oiiio. They were the parents of eight children 
— live sons and three daughters — seven (jf whom 
are living: W. L. enlisted in the ICth Iowa In- 
fantry, as a private soldier, serving four j'ears. On 
Sherman's march to the sea he was jjromotcd Cajit- 



^r>J s^s. k;. ji p?7? j>4^ rv?:,3^ 





SI 




i Jf^^f^^ 




282 



xxzxzT xxxxz] rrxxll 

MAHASKA 



mi 

mi 



W'^. 



ain of Companj^ C. Capt. Kissick was in prison at 
Andersonville for several months, and tliough still 
living, in this count3% has never fullj' recovered 
from the effects of that imprisonment. Liicetta J., 
deceased, married Dr. N. R. Hook, now of Lincoln, 
Neb.; Araminta is the wife of Rev. William Wil- 
son, of Dwight, III.; George L. is a farmer, and 
resides in Monroe County, Iowa; Florence is the 
wife of Dr. N. R. Hook; James L. is in Nebraska. 
Thomas Kissick, the father of the subject of this 
sketch, was a man of more than ordinary ability. 
He was an abolitionist from the time he became a 
voter. He and his «'ife were members of the Con- 
gregational Church. 

Robert Kissick was reared in Mercer County, 
Pa., until sixteen years old, receiving his education 
in the common schools of that State. In the spring 
of 1859 he came to Mahaska Countj', and in the 
summer of 1862 enlisted in Co. C, 33d Iowa Vol. 
Inf., as a private, and participated with his regi- 
ment in numerous engagements. In the fall of 
that year the regiment was sent to St. Louis, and 
put upon guard duty, and ordered thence to Colum- 
bus, Ky., and Union Cit}', Tenn., to repel a threat- 
ened attack upon those positions. They returned 
to Columbus, and in the early part of July, 1863, 
were sent to Helena, Ark. They were on the 
Yazoo Pass expedition as far as Ft. Pemberton, 
and returned again to Helena. Our subject was on 
the expedition against Little Rock, under Gen. 
'h^RT' Steele, who captured that strDUghold in September, 
S JH 1863. Mr. Kissick remained at Little Rock until 
^^^ the following spring, when he was promoted First 
Lieutenant and Adjutant in the 113th Colored 
Regiment, and remained at Little Rock until the 
close of the war, in 186.3, when his regiment was 
mustered out of service. 

After his return to Oskaloosa 3Ir. Kissick at- 
tended classical and Normal school for two years; 
when he was employed as teacher in the county. 
He was Principal of the High School at Manchester, 
Delaware Co., Iowa, one j'ear, and on his return to 
Oskaloosa entered the law oflice of Needham & 

^ Lafferty, and later that of Lafferty & Johnson, as a 
student. In January, 1871, he attended the Law De- 
partment of the Iowa State University, and gradu- 

I ated in the class of 1872. Returning to Oskaloosa 







he engaged in the practice of his profession. In i 
1866 he was appointed Deputy Revenue Collector 
of Mahaska and Marion Counties, serving about 
two years. 

Mr. Kissick has served several terms as Justice 
of the Peace, and for two years as Chairman of the 
Republican County Central Committee. He is a 
wide-awake Republican, a fluent speaker and hard 
worker. He is a member (jf Phil Kearney Post 
No. 40, G. A. R. 

Mr. Kissick was married in Oskaloosa, Nov. 4, 
1S68, to Miss Mary J. Pettitt. who was born in 
Crawford County, Ohio, Sept. 1 2, 1 845. Six chil- 
dren have been born to them — Raljih W., Frank 
P., Guj' E., Edwyne R., Norman .1. and Mary I. 
Mr. and Mi's. Kissick are members of the Congre- 
gational Church. 



B. ALLENDER is a farmer and blacksmith, 
residing on section 25, Cedar Township. 
He was born in Hartford County, JId., Oct. 
18, 1830, and is the son of John and Naomi 
(Ghiton) AUender, natives of Maryland. John 
Allender was a soldier in the War of 1812, and re- 
moved to Ohio in 1833, where he remained until 
1831), and then emigrated to Henry County, Iowa, 
where he died in 1866. His widow survives him 
and is living at the old home in Henry County, 
Iowa, at the ripe old age of ninety-six years. They 
were the parents of nine children — -B. W., Thomas, 
James, Dorcas Ann, J. E., N. B., Mary C, Samuel 
and Wesley. 

The subject of this sketch, N. B. AUender, at the 
age of eighteen yea'rs went to Mt. Pleasant, and 
commenced learning the blacksmith trade with 
Daniel' P. Gess, and worked for him one year, when 
the boss quit the business. He then went with a 
man by tlie name of David Elliott, and worked for 
him eighteen months, and after that worked at 
" jour" work for one year. 

Nov. 22, 1851, Mr. Allender was married to 
Martha L. Thomas, a native of ( )hio, born Nov. 
30, 1831, and a daughter of John and Martha 
(Snyder) Thomas, the former of whom died in 
Ohio, and the latter in Henry County, Iowa. Mr. 



:l 

;l 

Si 



t/'r'r'r'PM 
~ ii XJtXtiit JL. i; 



1' 

xtar 



[xxrixrrrrrrrrxrrrTrrixSJrr TixrrT L fiTuxttT 



^ '.iki - - - ■ ■ 






b'3 



jrrxjcrxi 



■ ^f g}- : .__: L 



KPVTVr-, 



iSHSEaa 







It 

1 <F 



la 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



28; 



and Mrs. Allender are the parents of ten children 
— John (deceased), fS. G., Dorcas A., James C, 
Kmma C, .Jose|)h L., Sarah S., Charles II.. Ephraini 
and Louis R. 

Mr. Allender is a member of the Masonic fra- 
ternity. Politically he is a Kepublican, and has 
held all the township otticcs where he resides. He 
is also an anctionecr by profession, and an excellent 
one, and cries all the sales in that part of the county. 
He is the owner of 140 acres of land, all improved 
and in a good state of cultivation, and his build- 
ings and other uniirovements are comfortable and 
substantial. Mr. Allender is quite well known 
over tlie county, and is highly regarded as an up- 
right, honorable man. 



.-S- 



#"# 




\tss^ AVID S. DAVIS, of Garfield Township, is 
a native of Wales, where he w-as born Nov. 
24, 1824, and is a son of Samuel and Ann 
Davis, natives of that country. He was 
married, in his native country, in 1848, to Miss 
Margaret (.Jenkins) Davis, a daughter of Jenkin 
.Jenkins. In 1849 they emigrated to America, lo- 
cating at Pittsburgh, Pa., where he resided a short 
time, removing to Middleport, Meigs Co., Ohio, 
and thence to Pomeroy, Ohio, following the occu- 
l)ation of mining during these several years and up 
to 1852, when he came to low^a, located in Monroe 
County, bought a farm of 300 acres, and there re- 
mained for a period of nine 3'ears, engaged in the 
business of farming and stock-raising. In 1865 he 
removed to Beacon, Iowa, and purchased an inter- 
est in a coal mine, in which business he continued 
until 1867, when he purchased the farm of 120 
acres in Garfield Township, which he still owns and 
operates. 

Mr. Davis is a man of more than ordinarj'^ edu- 
cational acquirements, a shrewd observer of peo- 
ple and events, and keeps himself well jiosted upon 
the current topics of the times, occupying his leis- 
ure hours in writing articles upon various subjects 
for several newsi)apers and periodicals. Jlr. and 
Mrs. Davis became the parents of six children : 
David resides in Garfield Township, and is a 
farmer; Samuel is a carriage-maker, and at present 




a resident of Page County, Iowa; Marg.aret is thr 
wife of W. P. Clark, a fanner residing near Albi:i. 
Monroe County; William .J. lives in Pleasant Grove 
Township, this county; Daniel is an attorney :ii 
Oskaloosa; Anna is a teacher of music, and reside- 
at home. Mrs. Davis died Sept. 9, 1885; she was 
a member of the Haptist Church. 

A. .JOHNSON, of Oskaloosa, was born in 
Washington County, Ohio, Jul}' 10, 184r,. 

'^'^ and is the son of John Johnson, whose ^ 
father, William Johnson, was among the first set- Jils^i 
tiers of the above-named county. When he settled I}j \A 
there the old block house at Marietta was still 
standing, and the Indians were scattered over tlie 
countrj' round about. He was the father of a large 
famil}', six sons and two daughters, two of whom 
are liviuo;, John and James .Johnson of Decatur, 
Washington Co., Ohio. John is the oldest settler ' 
who was born in Decatur Township, and yet re- 
sides there. He married Miss Sarah jMcGirr. She [ 
was born in Belmont County, Ohio, and was a mem- 
ber of the Society of Friends. By this union there j]!! 
were six sons and one daughter, namely : AVilliam ft] PI 
Arthur, of Oskaloosa; Worthy A., now of Attica, g^'^p 
Iowa, who enlisted in Compauj' A, 148th Ohio, and 
in an engagement at City Point, Va., received .i 
wound in the shoulder from which he never fully 
recoved; Henry, now of Washington County. 
Ohio; Marj- E., wife of Marion Hummer; and m fl 
Uarvey S., Dudley and Jonah, all of the same_gl_W 
county. John Johnson was in early life a Whig, [p^ 
but afterward a Republican, and was a man of very ™ "' 
strong convictions, and quite positive in his utter- 
ances. In religious belief he was a Universalis!, 
while his wife, the mother of William A., was .i,.^-.-^ 
member of the Societj' of Friends. They are both ^ 
living in Washington Count\', Ohio. 

The subject of this sketch was reared upon a tt-^ 
farm, and received a liberal education. At the age 
of seventeen j'ears he enlisted in Co. F, .36th Ohio 
Vol. Inf., and participated in the various engage- 
ments, including Harper's Feny, Winchester and 
Cedar Creek. He witnessed Sheridan as he came 
from his famous twenty-mile ride. He was with 





niTiztxizsnsTHjtiixixtxa 




Kjiixiiiur 



1 



i 



7IXSIZ1IIU 



1 ' lifco ULJi ' tiiBLi I zj I I'l I 




p.^^" 



inxixrx ixxmr; 



ri i nnni irir nmii i iiirm a 



Itiiixrrsiji 



284 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 




Grant up to the time of the surrender of Gen. Lee. 
Mr. Johnson was taken ill with inflt.mmator}' rheu- 
matism and sent to the hosiutal at Harper's Ferrj-, 
where he remained until he was discharged early in 
the summer of 180;'). 

On returning home our suliject remained until 
18(56, when he went to Gallatin Count}-, 111., and 
engaged in the hardware trade. In the fall of 1871 
he came to Iowa, and located in Des Jloines, where 
he was employed at his trade for three years. He 
then went to Marion County, Iowa, and worked 
upon a farm for two years. In 1870 he came to 
Oskaloosa, where he formed a partnership under 
the firm name of Henry Myers <fe Co., and engaged 
in the wholesale tinware trade. This partnership 
continued two yeai's, when JNIr. Mj'ers withdrew, 
and the firm became Kendig, Pilgrim & Co. Pil- 
grim and Johnson subsequently retired, but Mr. 
Johnson remained as head salesman for Mr. Kendig 
for four years, and then went to Des Moines, where 
he was employed by Beebe & Co., in the tinware 
trade for two years ; he was then with Comstock & 
Co., of Keokuk, for one j'ear. 

Mr. Johnson has been engaged in getting up ex- 
cursions for the Central Iowa Railroad Company for 
the past Ave years. He is a member of the G. A. R., 
also of Pleasant Lodge No. 128, A. F. & A. M., of 
Pleasantville, Marion Co., Iowa; and the Hiram 
Chapter No. G, of Oskaloosa. He is also a Knight 
Templar of Commaudery No. 6. Mr. Johnson is an 
indefatigable worker, and a man who pushes what- 
ever business he may be engaged in. His friends 
are limited only by the circle of his acquaintance, 
and he enjoys the confidence and esteem of all w^io 
know him. 

-^ ^-^ ^ 



"JOSEPH H. DOUGLA.S, a farmer and stock- 
grower on section 10, White Oak Township, 
was born in Kentucky, Sept. 7, 18,54, and is 
the son of Thomas and Middle (Beard) 
Douglas. The first named was a farmer, and died 
sin Kentuckj' in 1855. The mother came with her 
1 son during that year, to this county, and has re- 
i sided with him since. Joseph H. Douglas, the sub- 
'PUBl J®*^'' *^^ ^^'* sketch, was married in 1879 to Miss 



Mary F. McCurdy, who was born in AVhite Oak 
Township in lcS55, and is the daughter of J. A. and 
.Sarah (Henry) McCurdy. By this union there have 
been five children: Ethel. Charles, Roy, Ralph, and 
one who died in infancy. 

Politically Mr. Douglas is a Democrat, and at the 
present time holds the oitice of Road Supervisor. 
He is the owner of eighty-six acres of good land, all 
of which is under cultivation and well improved. 
His house, barn, and other buildings and improve- 
ments are of the best quality, convenient and com- 
fortable. He is succeeding well in life, is honorable 
and straightforward in his dealings, and is a geijial, 
pleasant gentleman, who enjoys the confidence and 
esteem of his friends. 



^'>/V\- -v«jS£2A§'^^| 



>>*,^^S1/Zra7r»^*■ av~* 



M 



tfrie_eji'? 



B5a£g^£ga 




W P. SHRn'ER, of the firm of Whitaker & 
I (@ Shriver, dealers in books, stationerj^ and 
/l'-^v\ wall paper, at No. 117 West High street, 
Oskaloosa, was born in New Lisbon, Ohio, March 
12, 1832, and is a son of Samuel and Sarah (Fink) 
Shriver, both natives of Adams Countj', Pa. The 
former was born April Hi, 178'.), and died May 5, 
1857; the latter was born in 1805, and now resides 
with the .subject of this sketch. Three children 
were born to them, all of whom are living: Will- 
iam R. is a farmer in Madison County, Iowa; the 
subject of this sketch is second ; and Harriet L. is 
the wife of Reuben Whitaker, the partner of L. P. 
Shriver. Mr. Shriver resided in New Lisbon, Ohio, 
until 1848, when he removed to Highland County, 
Ohio, and in April, 1 85 1 , came with his father's 
family to this county, locating in Harrison Town- 
ship. Here Mr. Shriver was engaged in farming up 
to the year 1876, when he sold his farm of 140 acres, 
came to Oskaloosa, and l)ought an interest in his 
present business, in which he has since been en- 
gaged. The firm owns tiicir present commodious 
building. 

Mr. Shriver owns a handsome residence and two 
lots on Jefferson street, and several pieces of prop- 
erty south of Penn College. He is a member of the 
Masonic fraternity and ranks as a Knight Templar. 
He is a stockholder in the Farmer's & Trader's Na- 
tional Bank. Mr. Shriver served the people of this 



Ir'jJJjizll,, 




(V 

I 
I 
I 










-^ BSEB 




i 

'I 

!;■ 
1 
1 
1 

r 




"»g»g« 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



28a 



li 



1 



11 



ii 




county for a period of three years, as member of 
the Board of Supervisors. He is unmarried and his 
elegant home is presided over by his mother. Mr. 
Shriver has been a very prudent managei' of his 
business affairs, on the farm and elsewhere, and 
possesses a competence .as the result of his ability 
in this direction. He is a most estim.able citizen, a 
man of the strictest integrity, and enjriys very fully 
the confidence of the people generally. 



^^LEXANDER N. CALDWELL, of White 
K @IU\ Oak Township, is a farmer, stock-grt>wer 
and shipper, and resides on section 28. He 
was born in East Tennessee, Oct. 1 2, 1 839, 
and is a son of Thomas F. and .Sarah (White) Cald- 
well, natives of Tennessee. In the year 18ol the}' 
removed from that State to Maha?ka County, and 
followed the occupation of farming. The first 
named died March 8, 18.5.3, aud the latter Aug. 27, 
1883. The subject of this sketch, Alexander N. 
Caldwell, was a lad of twelve years when his father 
came to this count}', and has followed his present 
business all his life. 

Dec. (), 1860, Jlr. Caldwell was married to Miss 
Esther J. Canfield, a daughter of Sherman and 
Jerusha (Kinsman) Canfield. She died March 4, 
1874, and Sept. 12, 1875, he was again married, to 
Miss N. C. Stump, a daughter of Adam and Catii- 
erine (Kendig) Stump, and to them four children 
iiave lieen born: Charlie C, Earle S., Fred 15. and 
Warren A. 

Politically Mr. Caldwell is a Republican, and lias 
served the people of his township .as Assessor and 
in other minor oftices, havfng just comjileted his 
sixth consecutive year of service as member of the 
Hoard of Supervisors of tliis county, the vexatious 
duties of which have been discharged in a m.'umer 
entirel}' satisfactory to the wlK)le people, :iiiil re- 
flecting great credit to himself. 

On the expiration of his term of (jfticc, Mr. 
Caldwell was presented bj- his court-house asso- 
ciates witii a handsome photograph album, contain- 
ing photographs of all tlie county otiicers and tiic 
wives of those who were married. I'riends, other 
than tiie county otticers, at tlie same time presented 



him with an easj- chair, on which he could rest, 
while reflecting on the past, and how, "through 
much tribulation," he saw arise the present hand- 
some court-house structure, the erection of which 
is due to his energj' and perseverance. 

His farm consists of 400 acres of verj^ fertile 
land, all in the best possible state of cultivation, 
with a fine house, ample barns, sheds and other 
buildings essential to the conducting of his business 
of farmer and stock-raiser. There is much of in- 
domitable push and energy in the composition of 
Mr. Caldwell. He foresees the end of an enterprise 
from its beginning, lays his plans accordingly, and 
in a systematic manner pursues the even tenor of 
his waj'. He is a successful farmer, because, com- 
bined with abilit}' to execute, is his systematic 
method of doing things. In all his relations in life 
he has shown himself an honorable gentleman and 
a man of strict integritj', and these qualities com- 
mend him to the highest esteem of his manv friends. 




*^ 




I insirjTirri I 
1 1 1 1 1. 1 > 1 1 iTTXl nxTTEXJl I 




iuillllUISIKU 






il. 






U 





1' " 



IS 



UGUSTUS A. HAMILTON. As one of the 
energetic business men of the thriving city 
of Oskaloosa, it affords us pleasure to give 
the reading public .a sketch of the gentle- 
man whose name heads this biography. He is 
proprietor of the Oskaloosa Planing Mill, and is 
eng.aged in making iloors, sasli, blinds, and also in 
contract building, and is prepared to do anj- kind 
of work in his line. He is meeting with that suc- 
cess in his business which energy and perseverance 
seldom fail to bring. 

Augustus A. Hamilton was born in Greene 
Count}', Va., Oct. 17, is.") 4, and is a son of Jallle^ 
W. and Martha (Headrick) llaniillon, natives of \'u- 
ginia. Oar subject came to Iowa in ISIKi, and made 
his home at ^lontezuma. There, after serving an ap- 
prenticeshii) of three j'ears and four months, he mas- ^^;"^ 
tered the cal)iiu't-maker's trade, and in 1873 went 
to Searsboro, this State, and worked at the carpen- 
ter's trade. From the latter place he went to Jasper 
County, and w;is tliere engaged for three years in 
the sawmill business. He then went to Lynnville, 
and remained a year working at bis trade, when he 
moved to Knoxville .Tnnclion. and was there a resi- 



(k^ 



i 



ffifi 






amx 



irrrrrrTTTiT' 










286 




M 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 




flent for one year. In 1881 our subject moved to 
Oskaloosa, where he was engaged in contracting 
and building until 1885. In .September of that 
year he bought out the interest of i^Ir. Wagner in 
the planing-mill at that place, and since that time 
has been engaged in that business, meeting with 
signal success. 

Mr. Hamilton was married in Searsboro, Oct. 17, 
1875, to Jliss Klla, daughter of William and Mar- 
tha ]Meredith. She was born in lleurj- County, 
lud.. and tlieir luiion lias been blest by the birth of 
one child, Franlv, who is now ten years old. In 
politics Mr. Hamilton votes with the Democratic 
l)arty. 

'/__^ OX. .lOIIX F. LACKY. of Oskaloosa, son of 
1^ John M. and Eleanor (Patten) Lacey, was 
born at New IMartinsville, \V. Va., May 50, 
1841. When the subject of our sketch was 
twelve years of age the family removed to Wlieel- 
iug, and in tlie year 1S55 settled permanently- at 
Oskaloosa, Iowa. He attended the public schools 
at Wheeling, and select schools at Oskaloosa, re- 
ceiving what may iie deemed tlic equivalent of an 
academic course. School days over, he entered 
upon the study of the law in the office of the Hon. 
Samuel A. Rice, then Attorney (ieneral of the 
State of Iowa. In 1861 a call being made for vol- 
unteers, Mr. Lacey promptly tendered his services 
to the Government, and was the fifth man in Ma- 
haska Count3' to respond to the President's call, 
enlisting as a private in Co. II, 3d Iowa Vol. Inf., 
and was soon after made a Corporal, and served 
with'his command until the battle of Blue Mills' 
Landing, Mo., where he was taken prisoner and 
carried to Lexington, Mo. He was held a prisoner 
near the city during the siege, and after its ca]5ture 
by the rebels was paroled with Col. Mulligan's men. 
i I By reason of a presidential order discharging all 
$ paroled prisoners from the service, our subject re- 
turned home and resumed his law studies in (ien. 
Rice's office. 

In 186'2 Mr. Lacey was exchanged, and as addi- 
tional volunteers were called for, he again enlisted, 
and was mustered into service as a private soldier 
in Co. D, 33d Iowa Vol. Inf., Col. Samuel A. Rice 







^ 




^ 



M pprp g ;j jJ^p T i TTf rp g] 



^rJ^^^^.j^jTa^n^^ 



ct)mmanding. He was soon promoted Sergeant 
Major of the regiment, and in May, 18()3, was com- 
missioned First Lieutenant <if Company C, and 
served several months as Acting Adjutant of the 
regiment. When Col. Rice was promoted Briga- 
dier (ieneral, Lieut. Lacey was a member of his 
staff. He remained cm staff duty with Gen. Rice 
until the latter's death, in consequence of a wound 
received at the battle of Jenkins' Ferry. He was 
then assigned to duty on the staff of Gen. Steele, 
with the rank of Captain and Assistant Adjutant 
General of ^'ol^nteers. He remained with (ien. 
Steele until the close of the war, and was mustered 
out of service Sept. I'J, 1805, liearing the rank of 
Brevet Major for gallant services at tlie siege of 
Moljile, Ala., a promotion made at the special re- 
quest of Gen. Canb}-. While serving on the staff 
of (ien. Rice, Maj. Lacey took part in the battles 
of Helena and Little Rock, the Camden expedi- 
tion, l.iattle of Terre Noir Creek, Flkins Ford, 
Prairie D'Anne, Poison Springs and Jenkins' Ferry. 
After the death of (ien. Rice he took part in a 
campaign in Northeastern Arkansas as a volunteer 
on the staff of Gen. J. R. West. While with Steele 
he participated in the JMobile campaign, and the 
storming of Ft. Blakely, the last important battle 
of the war. After the fall of Mobile, Gen. Steele 
took an expedition into Northern Alabama. About 
this time Gen. Grant sent an army of 48,000 men 
to take part in the expected difficult}' with Mexico, 
and Maj. Lacey served as Assistant Adjutant Gen- 
eral of the Army of Observation on the Rio Grande 
River. 

Upon leaving the staff of Gen. Steele, where 
Maj. Lacey had officiated as Assistant Adjutant 
General, the following general order was published 
to the divisions composing that command : 

•• Headquarters Armj' of the Rio Grande, / 
Bhowxsvii.le, Tex., July 19, 18G5. [ 
Gexeual Order No. 5. 
II. — Capt. John F. Lacey, A. A. G., will proceed 
to New Orleans, La., and report himself at the head- 
quarters of Maj. Gen. P. H. Sheridan, Command- 
ing Military Division of the Southwest, in order to 
avail himself of the provision of General Order No. 
lOG, War Deijartment Current Series. 

III. — The undersigned deeply regrets losing 



E! 



ai 



: ^ 







>i^ - 

1 ; 

h : 

L : 

I "I 

i.-a 
1=3 



i;ia 

l:;a 

4 



i:ia 



i;:a 
i;;a 
i;:a 

i;:S 

liiB 

uia 

r a 
Tj-a 
ij a 
i:,a 
I 'a 

^ 
u'a 
ME 

i-3a 



lit 

il 

P 



&-HHi5?-x] 



.:::199S 




MAHASKA COUNTY. 



287 



from his staff so gallant and meritorious an officer, 
and fnim his military famil3- so amiable and ac- 
oi>mi)lished a gentleman as C'apt. l^acey. He en- 
tt're<l the service at an age wlicn most j'oung men 
have not left school, and liy his energy and good 
sense soon liecanu' distinguished as a stiitT olHcei'. 
and was associated with tlie gallant Rice until he 
was mortally wounded at .lenkins' Ferry. In re- 
turning to private life, for the purjiose of complet- 
ing his studies, Capt. Laeev will carry witli him the 
warmest regards of every military man who knew 
him well. His friends will recur with pride to his 
record on the battle-fields of Arkansas and Ala- 
bama, and his companions in arms will frequently 
recall the merry scenes around the camp-lhc which 
were eidivened by his humor and good-nature. 
F. Steele, Major (ieneral commanding. 
"Official, J. Lymax, First JJeutenant, A. D. C. 
an.l A. A. A. G." 

The Major was never wounded, but had a horse 
killed under him b}' a shell at the battle of Prairie 
H'Anne, Ark. Soon after his return to Oskaloosa 
he was admitted to the b.ar, and in ISGS) was elected 
Kepreseutative to the 13th General Assembly of 
Iowa from this county. He served one term as 
Representative, and in the following year published 
the Third Iowa Digest. In 1879 he was elected 
City Solicitor of Oskaloosa, and in 1880 was a 
member of the City Council, the duties of which 
positions he faithfully discharged in a highly cred- 
itable manner. In 1875 he published ^■olume I of 
" Lacey's Railway Digest," and in 1884 the second 
volume .appeared, these two volumes comprising a 
complete digest of all the American railway cases, 
and ample selections of cases of interest to the 
American bar from the Scotch, Irish, English, 
Canadian and Austr.ali.an reports, thus making a 
complete encyclopedia of railway law. These vol- 
umes contain a digest of about 25,000 cases, and 
involved a vast amount of patient labor. Maj. 
Lacey has been an unusually successful practitioner 
in the courts of Iowa for twenty-one years. 

In 18G5 our subject was married to Miss Martha 
IS'ewell, daughter of Thomas and Susanna (Will- 
iams) Mewell. Four children have been born to 
them ; the eldest. Eleanor, and the youngest. Heren- 
ice. are living. The most lovable children died of 



riiitxKiiiiii: 



rwrrrant ■ i ■ ■ ■ llfTirTHTTTTl 



rmmmi rTym »xii *iim xj I 



diphtheria in the fall of 1880, Raymond F. at the 
age of eiglit, and Kate .at the age of six years. The 
sad and unexpected death of these promising chil- 
dren has naturally left an ineftaceable sorrow in the 
hearts of the devoted parents. 

It has been the custom of tlie Major for man^- 
years to utilize his summer vacations from his pro- 
fessitnial labors, in a way that would add to his al- 
read}' libei-al education, and this he has thought 
could best lie acc(jmplished by visiting the princi- 
l)al [loints of iiitei'est in this country and on the 
continent of Europe. Acting upon this idea, and 
accompanied by his amiable wife, in the year 1878 
he visited the following countries in Europe: Scot- 
land, England, France, (iermany, Holland. Belgium, 
Tyrol, Switzerland, and Northern I t;dy, visiting all 
objects of interest in a large portion of the princi- 
pal cities and towns of the countries named. In 
1884, realizing that there were yet other points of 
interest to be visited in the Old World, he again, 
in company with his wife, visited Europe, this time 
gojng to Rome, Ireland, England, France, Belgium, 
Switzerland and (iermany, visiting those points 
neglected by him on his former tour. There is 
hardly' a point t)f interest in his own countr}' which 
he has not seen, and in the summer of 1880! he 
visited the Wonderland of California, and its many 
objects of interest. 



idi 



n 



|]AMES LOUGH RIDGE, of Spring Creek 
Township, was born in Huron County, Ohio, 
Feb. 1 , 1 834, and is a son of Poultney and 
Maria A. (iNIitchell) Loughridge. The for- 
mer was a native of Pcnnsjlvania, and died in this 
township; the latter is still living, and resides in 
the city of Oskaloosa. Poultney Loughridge was 
quite a prominent man in all public affairs in this 
county, and while in Ohio was frequently sent to 
the Legislature .as a lobb^- member to look after 
our S|)ecial interests, and was equally prominent, 
active and intlaential in all matters of the church 
in which he was a member, and in the neighbor- 
hood in which he resided. He was an old-time 
Abolitionist, and never hesitated to act a.s well as 
talk, in relation to the abolition of slavery, never 



in 



i 



m 



BoajoToixi 



iKrrmil^ 



222 




rc oLTm ixrmrrn rxxij i numj" 



rmiiiitiiiiiiiiimmti.ixTi'* , 



288 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



ii 



SI 



hesitating to aid the negroes substantially on their 
way to freedom. He came from Ohio to Iowa in 
1841, and was one of the very earliest of the pio- 
neers of tliis part of the State. He erected the first 
log cabin in Spring Creek Township, on what is now 
known as section 15, and it is presumed to be the 
first dwelling of any kind built in the county. It 
was built the day the Indians vacated the lands of 
what was then called the New Purchase. He staked 
out his claim long before the time when the Indians 
were to vacate, and lived with them until the whites 
were allowed to occupy their claims. The first 
election held in this township was at his cabin, and 
this was before the lands of the township had been 
surveyed. To Father Loughbridge and wife were 
born nine children : .Tohn M., Joseph J., Emily J., 
.lames, Thomas, IMar^', Eliza (deceased), Eddie, and 
one who died in infancy. " 

The subject of this sketch, James Loughridge, 
enlisted in July, . 1 802, in Co. K, 32d Iowa Vol. 
Inf., and went into camp at Oskalposa. In the fall 
of that year the regiment was ordered to .St. Louis, 
Mo., and thence to Helena, Ark. He was Orderly 
Sergeant of the company, and was soon after pro- 
moted First Lieutenant, and participated with 
his command in all the engagements of the regiment 
excejJt the battle of Saline River or Jenkins' Ferry. 
The most notable of his engagements were the bat- 
tles of Helena and Little Rock, and the environ- 
ment of Mobile, Ala. During the engagement at 
Saline River he was absent on recruiting service, 
but remained with the command until its muster 
out and final discharge from the service, when he 
returned home. 

Mr. Loughridge has an amide farm of 17.5 acres 
on sections 1 and 1 1 of this township, and forty-five 
acres on section lo, all under cultivation. The 
improvements, such as the house, barns and other 



■33KI auxiliaries, are first-class and in good repair. In 




addition to farming Mr. Loughridge has for many 
years run a sawmill on his place, which is operated 
by a twenty-horse-power steam-engbie, by means 
of which the native lumber required in that section 
of the county has been supplied for use. He also 
has a hay-press, and bales and siii[)s large quantities 
of both wild and tame hay. 

Mr. Loughridge is a prominent member of the 



fclSES<icLicL3 




United Presbyterian Church, and politically is a 
Republican, holdiug a prominent position in the 
councils of that part\'. Active and euergetic and 
an excellent manager, he has been very successful 
in his business undertakings. Personally he is a 
gentlemen of the strictest integrity, most honora- 
ble in all his transactions, and greatl^^ esteemed by 
a host of friends and acquaintances. 




W. STEWARD, of the firm of Steward & 
Turner, grocers at Oskaloosa, was born in 
Marietta, Ohio, June 1, 1858, and is a son 
of George and Talitha M. (Dutton) Steward. (See 
biography.) The subject of this sketch received a 
good education in the common and high schools of 
Marietta, Ohio, and at the age of fifteen came with 
his parents to Oskaloosa, engaged as clerk with S. 
J. Dutton for four years, with C. T. Willard & Co. 
two years, with C. C. Weeks & Co., at Rose Hill, 
for three years, find with D. W. Loring & Co., of 
this citj-,for four years. During this time he had 
become interested in the grocery business under 
the style of Steward Bros., the firm consisting of 
W. W. and C. E. Steward. On the 1st of Januarj', 
188G, he took charge of the business in which he 
was a iiartner, an 1 his brother having disposed of 
his interest in the business 10 R. L. Turner, the 
firm of Steward & Turner was formed. They en- 
joy a fine tiade and carry a well-selected stock of 
staple and fanc}- groceries averaging over §3,000. 
Sept. 15, 188G, the clothing firm of W..^ AV. 
Steward iV Co. was organized, and is known as the 
"(iloble Clothing House," located on the west side 
of tlie Public Square. Mr. Steward is one of the 
firm and general manager of the business. The 
firm employs four assistants, and carries a full line 
of clothing, hats, caps and gents' furnishing goods. 
Mr. Steward is a Republican in politics, and in 
the spring of 1886 was elected Treasurer of the 
city of Oskaloosa. He is a member of the Coni- 
maudery of Knights Templars, and of the Uni- 
formed Rank, Knights of Pythias, this city. He is 
Secretary of Conipanj^ F, Iowa National (Uiards, 
and a Director in the Savings and Loan Associa- 
tion of Oskaloosa. Though young in years he is 



nrrin nxxxxxi xxxxx xr ^ 
iiiTTfriiirTXTninrTi ; 



.i,i.'i .,,,i,.TTm tiii»i 
CJH225a 



II iiixxtixTniirxziii 



BHSHSHl 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



28'.i 



olil in business experience, Miifl possesses those 
qualities that are sure to bring him (Ifsiral)lc suc- 
cess in the future. There is aliout him a suavity 
of manner and a force <if character that have ma<h' 
for him a host of friends, in whose esteem and cdu- 
tidence he stands verj- high. 







V -. 



F. SHEETS, a retired farmer, and one of 
K the most highly respected citizens of the 
II.' county, is living in Fremont. He was born 
^=r^' in Holmes Count}-, Ohio, April (J, 183()," and 
is the son of Samuel and Pho'be (Winslow) 
Sheets. Samuel Sheets was born in the town of 
Bedford, Pa., Oct. 14, 1807. In USi.'i he left his 
native State and emigrated to Ohio, and followed 
the occupation of farming. Sept. 21, 1853, he left 
Ohio with his family and started for the AVest, com- 
ing through to Keokuk County, Iowa, in wagons. 
He is now deceased, but Mrs. Phu'l)e Slieets is yet 
living. 

The subject of this sketch, at the age of eight- 
een, apprenticed himself to a man by the name of 
E. J. Darby, living in Napoleon, Holmes Co., 
Oiiio, U) learn the trade of tanner, and remained 
wjtli him two j'cars, at the end of winch time he 
formed a partnership with Mr. Darl)y, which con- 
tinued for two years more, when he liought out 
Mr. Darby's interest and carried (m the business 
alone for eleven 3ears. when, having sold his busi- 
ness to John and Tenis Spielman, in 18G4, he came 
West with his wife and five children, locating in 
Davis County, Iowa. Here he purchased a small 
f.arui of improved hind, residing upon and cultiva- 
ting it for three years, and in 1868 sold the place and 
removed to Cedar Township, this county, buying 
an improved farm of 120 acres, upon which he re- 
sided for sixteen years. In 1884 he sold this farm 
to Daniel \'otaw, purchased lots in the town of 
FreuKint, and built a comfortable home thereon, 
where he is now residing. 

June 5. 18.51, Mv. Sheets was married to ^lary .S. 
Tidl)all, who was born in Holmes County, Ohio, 
Dec. 10, 18;53, and is the daughter of William B. 
and Nancy (Wilson) Tidball. 'I'he former was 



born in Peinisyh aula, .hine 1. ISOT, and removed 
with his parents, wiiile ^ct a young man, to Ohio, 
and remained with them, following the occupation 
of farmer, until 1S(;(I. when he removed with Ids 
family tf> Warren County, Iowa, where he has since 
died. His wi(h)W survives, and resides upon the 
homestead in Warren County, with a daughter. The 
subject of this sketcii and wife are the parents of 
eight ciiildren: Klnor.a, born Feb. 24, 1S.52. is the 
wife of J. F. Hnsseil. and lives in Nebraska; Solon 
B., horn April .'U), is.'io, married Mary Burris, and 
lives in (Jutinie County, Iowa; Aljigail, liorn Aug. 
3, 18.')7, is the wife of H. 1). Hughes, and resides in 
Carroll Coiuity, Iowa; Mercy J., born Sept. 25, 
1.S5'.), is the wife of .Samuel Tenuis, of this count}'; 
Phtebe L., born Nov. 20, 18(11, is the wife of Laban 
Kent, of this county; Joanna, born June 4, 18G5, 
is the wife of Willis S. Sharp, of Carroll County ; 
.Samuel, liorn Nov. 4, 1867, and Lettie, March 28, 
l.s71,are at home. A grandson, Jason W. Kent, 
born Nov. 3, 1881, is a member of the familj'. 

Mr. and Mrs. Sheets are both members of the 
Methodist Itlpiscopal Church, in which they are act- 
ive and influential members. They are strong ad- 
vocates of the temperance cause, and are firm be- 
lievers in the wisdom of a law that shall locate 
cinu-ches and school-houses on the hills and abolish 
the saloons in the valleys, and in this and their 
church work have no apologies to make to the sa- 
loon interests and rum power of the State, tirmlj- be- 
lieving that the continuance of so unhol}' a traflic 
is detrimental to the best interests of all the people 
and an insult to the intelligence of the nation. 

•M— ♦ o.-siHdBH*^'' ^=— ?<• 



^& 



'HHHa 



-.^SK, 






ICHARD DUMONT, Abstracter of Titles, 
^ at Oskaloosa, and a resident of IMahaska 
m County since 1«54, w'as born in Haeketts- 
^town, Warren Co., N. J., July 24, 1820, 
and is a son of John H. and JIar}' ((iates) Dumont. 
llis parents were also natives of New Jerse.y, and 
his father was descended from the French Ilugne- 
nots, who settled in the United States at the time 
of the exodus to this country of that persecuted 
people. 

Our sul)ject removed to New York City witli 




iinTiriiiiixixitmx 







WM 


^p 


l! M! 


i^ 



i 






jxxjjrxxi 



290 



l-lllTl«lllll HlHl^TgT "rTTTit 

MAHASKA COUNTY, 




KtXM 



[ ■..:. , ,?.-> .■.■.". .. ^.■■;;,, ■;..:,. ; .. : --) H|- Err 

IxxxjixtxnmiuactiTTxtxnTm'* > t-i^u^ _ -J^ 



i!^ 



r 






his parents during his childhood, and in that city 
he was reared and educated, being instructed by 
private tutors. He learned the trade of a sash, 
door and )ilind maicer, which business he continued 
to follow until 184.'j, when he went to Elmira, in 
the same State, and was engaged in the same line 
of work until 1849. During the last-named j^ear 
he came West, locating at Kenosha, Wis. A year 
and a half later we find him again on the move, 
g(_)ing this time to Mansfield, Ohio. That city was' 
his home for the following three years. In 18.54 
Ml-. Dumout again turned his face westward, stop- 
i ping c)nly on reaching Oskaloosa. Soon after his 
arrival here, in 18.54, he engaged in running sa.sh 
machinery, which he followed with moderate suc- 
cess for some 3'ears. 

In 1859 our subject received the appointment of 
Deputy Clerk of the County and District Courts, 
and for the following thirty months filled that po- 
sition with such satisfaction that at the next cam- 
paign his name was placed on the ticket for the 
pt>sition of County Clerk. On the counting of the 
1! ballots after the election he was found to have re- 
ceived a handsome majority. Again, at the expi- 
ration of this term, in 18(14, he was re-elected, 
holding the position until Jan. 1, 1867. He was a 
faithful, accommodating public servant, laboring 
assiduously for the welfare of the people. Since 
1-872 Mr. Duniont has served as Secretary of the 
.School Board of Oskaloosa, and holds that position 
at this writing. In 1877 he engaged with his sons 
in preparing paints and oils, and was in that busi- 
ness for two years. Since that time he has occujjied 
his time as Al)stracter of Titles. 

All-. Dumont was married in New York Cit\', 
May 22, 1842, to Miss Sarah Grafton. She was 
born in Providence, R. I., but w.as reared to ma- 
turity in New York City. ( )f her union with our 
Slubject six children — four sons and two daughters 
I — have been born, two of the former being de- 
ceased. Mary E. is the wife of (xeorge K. Lee, of 
jlielle Plaine, this State; Thomas R. married Miss 
Maggie Hewitt, and thej' are liviny in St. .Joseph, 
lo. ; he was a soldier in Co. F, 4th Iowa Vol. Cav., 
n the late Civil War, and did honorable service 
or his country ; Maria L. is the wife of Judson A. 
"Coffin, and is residing in Oskaloosa; John H. mar- 



ried Mary E. Ebersole, and they are living iu 
Omaha, where he is Secretary and Treasurer of the 
Omaha Water- Works, and is also interested in 
mercantile pursuits; F. Marion died iu childhood, 
and Charles died at the age of eighteen years. 
Mr. and Mrs. Dumont are members of the First 
Baptist Church. Politically Mr. Dumont w.as an 
old-line Whig, but on the formation of the Repub- 
lican party in 18.56 joined its ranks, and has since 
continued to vote with it. 



VERETT H. BOBBITT is a farmer and 
stock-raiser, living on section 30, AVhite 
^ t)ak Township. He was born in Missouri, 
Jan. 26, 1816, and is the son of William and Eliza- 
beth (Hale) Bobbitt, who were natives of North 
Carolina, and emigrated to Kentucky in the ver}' 
earliest settlement of that State. They then re- 
moved to Missouri, in 181.5. where thej' remained 
until 1829, and then went to Morgan County, 111., 
where they died. The subject of this sketch, Ev- 
erett H. Bobbitt, came from the old home in Illi- 
nois to this count}- in the year 1848, and opened a 
farm .and resided here until 18.50, when he went 
back to Illinois and remained three 3'ears, still re- 
taining the C)wnership of his f.arm in this county, to 
which he returned in 1856, and where he has con- 
tinued to reside since. 

In May, 1842, he was m.arried to Miss Mary 
Newton, a daughter of Henry and Martha (Izell) 
Newton, who were natives of Virginia, but who 
moved to Kentucky, and thence to Illinois about 
the year 18.'>8. By this union there were three chil- 
dren : Theodore N., David F. and Melissa .t. The 
mother died in 1849, in Iowa, and in 1851 he was 
again m.arried, to Nancy G. Moss, a daughter of 
William and Rachel (Brattain) ]\Ioss, both of whom 
died in Illinois. By this latter marriage there were 
three ciiildren: William E., deceased; R.aehel E. 
and iMarj' E. 

jMr. and Mrs. Bol)bitt are members of the Baptist 
Church, and the girls of the Cumberland Presby- 
terian Church. Politically Mr. B. is a Democrat, 
has hold the otHce of Supervisor two terms, and 
nearl}' all the minor offices of the township. He 




It '!^f^ ' ni-TTrd tSaSSBSl 

m 



15c 

1 



1 

I 



owns 121 acres of excellent laud, all iiiuler fence, 
in a good state of cultivation, with the best class 
of improvemeuts of all kinds. He pursues the oc- 
cupation of general farming and stock-raising, giv- 
ing his particular attention to breeding and raising 
Cleveland Bay horses, and has several very fine ani- 
mals of this family of horses. Mr. Bobbitt is a citi- 
zen of long residence in this county, a man of posi- 
tive convictions, and equallj^ as positive in the 
expression of his views upon any and all questions, 
yet a man who enjo3's the confidence and regard 
of neighbors and friends. 




MAHASKA 



■<«epj2;®^' 






ellAKLES CURRIER, of the firm of Charles 
Currier & Son, millers, resides on section 7, 
White Oak Township. He is a pioneer 
among pioneers, one of the few yet left to tell the 
story of the good old days when every man w^as 
the equal of his neighbor, and all were willing to 
share alike of the good things of this life. He is a 
native of the grand old State of Maine., the home 
of James G. Blaine and other noted men, not only 
of the present, but of the past, and was born in the 
town of Corinth, March 13, 1820. His parents, 
Ephraim and Hannah (Morrell) Currier, were na- 
tives of Massachusetts, but emigrated to Maine at 
a verj' early day, and were there united in mar- 
riage. Both di('(l in their adopted State manj^ 
years ago. 

Charles Currier remained with his parents on the 
farm until he was nineteen years of age, and, like 
many others who had heard of the West, with its 
boundless prairies, dotted here and there with 
groves of timber sufHcient for all practical pur- 
poses, determined to seek a home in that favored 
land. His first stopping-place was in Putnam 
Count}', Ind., where he remaine<l tiuee 3a'ars, work- 
ing two j'ears as an ai)i)rentice tn a w.ngon-niaker, 
and one year as a journeyman in tiiat trade. In 
August, 1H43, in company with the family of 
Joseph Harris, he came to Iowa, and stop|icd in 
Wapello Count}-, near the present city of Ottuniwa, 
where he remained until the spring of 1844, when 
he came to Mahaska Countv. lucatin"; in Harrison 



Township, wiiere he run a wagon-shop for one year, 
and tiieii moved to Oskaloosa, where he continued 
to work at ills trade, being the first in that line in 
the place — the pioneer wagon-maker. For two 
years he worked at his trade in Oskaloosa, and then 
purchased a mill site on section 2, Spring Creek 
Township, on the South Skunk River, and .it once 
erected a sawmill, wiiich he operated about two 
years. In IS.'iO he moved to his present location 
on section 7, White Oak Township, where he en- 
tered fort}^ acres of land, including the mill site, 
built a dam and erected another mill for sawing 
lumber. After running it as a sawmill exclusively 
for two or three 3-ears, he put in one run of buhrs 
for grinding grain. This was the foundation for 
the present well-known Currier Mills. In 18.J9 he 
erected the present mill structure, and has since 
been actively engaged in milling, though for some 
years the general management of the mill has been 
in the hands of his son, William S., whom he ad- 
mitted to partnership in 1880. To the original 
forty Mr. Currier has since added thirty acres, the 
farm now consisting of seventj- acres of good land, 
on which is a fine stone quarry, and from which 
are taken the buhrs used in the Currier middlings 
mill, of which mention is made in the sketch of 
William S. Currier. 

On the 3d day of September, 1849, Charles 
Curlier and Angeline Harris, daughter of Joseph 
and Julia Harris, were united in marriage. Their 
wedded life has been a happy one, and they are the 
parents of six children, five now living — Elna, 
William S., Frank, Fred and Henry. Hattie is de- 
ceased. 

Previous to the organization of the Republican 
party Mr. Currier was a Whig, but since that time 
has been an earnest advocate of its principles. On 
account of his business being such as always to re- 
quire his personal attention, he has alwaj's declined 
to be a candidate for any office. Mrs. Currier is a 
member of the Regular Baptist Church. 

As stated in the b.-ginning of this sketch, Mr. 
Currier is a pioneer among pioneers. An eye wit- 
ness of the great and marvelous changes that h.ave 
been wrought in county. State and nation, he has 
the sivtisfaction of knowing that, however humble 
his part may have been in it all, he has ever re- 




_ i*jj ;■■■ 



rinmuixxu 







Hi, 21)2 







I 



fuxmJimiLJi-ixiix jxn iin i ' 

fernxTTT uixtJ&ninmrrm: i 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



mi 
m 



Mm 



i^Hi 



tained the good-will of his fellow-men, and toward 
one and all has endeavored to pnt in practice the 
priueiples of the (iolden Rule. 



>)RNEST A. IIOKNBOSTEL is a native of 
Germany, where he was born in the Grand 
/f_L-^ Duchy of Oldenburg, May 9, 1839. He is 
the son of George and Louisa (Britzius) Hornbos- 
tel, who were the parents of eleven children, eight 
sons and three daughters : Ernest A. lives at Oska- 
loosa; Gustave died in (Germany; Doris married 
George King, of Utica, N. Y. ; Charlie came to 
America, and died in I.S()2; AVilliam, a resident of 
Michigan, enlisted at the first call for troops in the 
late war : Sophia lives in Rome, N. Y. ; .Julius and 
Edward served in the navy during the late war; 
Albert lives in the Province of Ontario; Charlotte, 

TT in New York; Ferdinand is Jiow deceased. Mr. 

Ji|^ Hornbostel's mother died in (iermany, but his fa- 
ther came to America in 1802 and died in l.s,s3. 
They were members of the Lutheran Church. 

The subject of this sketch was apprenticed to 

and learned the trade of a m.achinist. He wasedu- 

I cated in the University of Heidelburg, and afterward 

ill spent two years at Goettingen. From 1860 to 18G2 

he served in the French armj' in Africa, under the 

command of the celebrated jNLarshal Pellissieur, 

participating in several skirmishes with the Arabs, 

in which he was twice severely wounded by sabre 

strokes, receiving one on the head and another on 

the arm. He crossed the Atlas Mountains, making 

a march of seventeen days without rest. Returning 

to (Germany, he remained there a short time, and 

in 1802 went to Bellville, I'rovince of Ontario, 

Canada. There he was married to Miss Alary M. 

(Toergen, by whom he has had seven children, three 

living — Ernest A., Mary A. and Edward A. In 

h 1877 he came to Iowa, settling in Dubuque, where 

h he was emplo^'ed in the Novelty Iron Works of 



1-1 

M 




Galena, 111., and thence to Des Moines, Iowa, 
at which latter place he w,as eini)loyed in the manu- 
facture and setting n\) of machines for the manu- 
facture of barbed wire. The machines in operation 
at Manchester, Iowa, are specimens of his skill in 



this I'egard. In 1884 he came to Oskaloosa and 
pnt up the machines now in use by the Oskaloosa 
Fence Company. He is the patentee and is manu- 
facturing the Mahaska Comp.any coal drill, a ma- 
chine for boring into the coal. He is also the pat- 
entee of the Horn))Ostcl Billiard Table Leveler, 
which he is manufacturing. He also manufactured 
for the Oskaloosa Oat Mill Compan}' a set of 
machinery- for cutting oatmeal. He makes a spe- 
cialty of making all kinds of models and experi- 
mental machines. His shop is in the Power & 
Land Conipan3''s building, Oskaloosa. 

Mr. Ilornbostel is a member of the Roman Cath- 
olic Church, and i)olitically is a Republican. He is 
a man <jf acknowledged skill and ability in his pro- 
fession, and is industrious .and hnr<l-working, and a 
good citizen in all respects. 



-^-*- 



-^ 



eHARLES EDGAR STEWARD, of the firm 
of Weeks & Steward, was born in Slarietta, 
Ohio, Jan. 21, 1856, and is a son of George 
and Talitha M. (Dntton) Stew.ird. (See their biog- 
raphy elsewhere.) He received a good common- 
school education and began his mercantile career as 
clerk in a dry-goods store in Marietta. In 1873 he 
came to Oskaloosa, entered the employ of S. J. 
Dutton, then in the grocerj' trade, remaining with 
him two years, and then engaged with the Willard 
ik Weeks Company, and officiated as salesman in 
that establishment for eight years. Succeeding this 
service he engaged with Lawrence, Dungan & Co., 
wholesale dry goods, Ottumwa, as traveling sales- 
man, for eighteen months, and for one year repre- 
sented Gross & Landers, cloak manufacturers, in a 
traveling connection. In the fall of 1885 he formed 
his present partnership with Mr. C. C. Weeks, and 
September 15, they opened to the public their 
handsome place of business, ''The Magnet." They ^ 
carry a fine stock of dry goods, notions, cloaks, etc., 
averaging in value about 120,000, do a fine busi- ^ 
ness. and employ from six to eight salesmen and 
salesladies. 

Mr. Steward is a member of the Uniformed Rank, 
Knights of Pythias. He is a young man of per- 
sistent energy and push, and is succeeding finely in 




E ^Sa^ 



f 




i" 




^J,^/y€i^:^(^'r^a/ '(_^t?^"^^?'^^. 



' ■i] 




OskaloosaBusiness CoLLtGE, W.L.Howe, Propr. Establ. ISGS.Enc. 1885. 



I 



I 






!S?n^F'el 







C>'2Z2H^ 



W : — 

'M : his business ventures, having a very correct and 
^ - thorough knowledo;e of the details of his business, 
y : and a pleasant, engaging way about liini that not 
K : onlj' captures trade but retains it. He is a prudent 
o: : manager, and at once assumed a place in the front 
'.]^: : rank among our business men, and maintains it be- 
^ : cause of the ability' that placed him there. 



Vt^,ROF. \V1LLIAM L. HOWE, Principal and 

Jl) proprietor of Oskaloosa Business College, 

•M i*^ was born in Goshen, Elkhart Co., Ind., 

I \ Dec. 3, 1852, and was the only son of Ar- 
low L. and Sarah Howe, the former a native of 
New York and the latter of Indiana. Sarah Howe 
died in the j'ear 18.54, when AVilliam L. was adopted 
by his grandparents, Mr. and Jlrs. Samuel Mcdaw, 
who came to Mahaska County in 1856, bringing the 
subject of this sketch with them, and here he re- 
mained until 1865. Arlow L. Howe went to Min- 
nesota, and was married to Miss Hannah Albro, a 
native of New York. Arlow L. Howe, father of 
the subject of this sketch, was a soldier of the late 
Civil War, enlisting in 1862, in the 3d Minnesota 
Infantrj- as a private soldier, and later on was pro- 
moted Orderly Sergeant of his eompanj-, and 
served the full term of his enlistment, three years. 
At the close of the war Arlow L. Howe visited 
Iowa and took William L. home with him to Jliu- 
nesota to live, as both grandparents had died dur- 
ing the period of ten years he had lived here in 
Iowa. During the year of 1886 he attended the 
annual session of the G. A. R. at Sau Francisco, 
Cal., of which he is a member. 

William L. Howe worked with his father on the 
farm from 1865 till 1873, when he started out for 
himself, farming from 1873 to 1877, and having 
laid up a little he concluded he would invest in an 
education. His early days were spent in the Nor- 
mal School at Oskaloc>sa, and after quitting the 
farm in 1877 he entered Oskaloosa College, where 
he pursued a course of studies for two years 
and a half, when his health failed him and he aban- 
doned tiie course. In 1879 he attended the (Jem 
City Business College at Quincy, 111., and gradu- 
ated the same year with high honors. He returned 



-m 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



295 



\ : 



\ 
1 
1 
I 

U: 

I 
I 
I- 

I 
1 
I 
I 
I 
I 
^-■ 

4 - 
ISC 



IS 

11 

u: 

1 : 
1 : 

|-£ 



P 

I-: 

1 - 
V : 

iJ : 

ftLlI 1 1 



tej" 



to Oskaloosa upon the completion of his commer- 
cial course, and taught penmanship through the 
countj^ until August, 1880. He was asked bj- the 
Board of Oskaloosa College to make application for 
the principalship of the Commercial Department of i 
the college, which he did with a number of others 1 
from the different parts of the county, and the 
board, after due examination of the forms of appli- 
cation, decided that William L. Howe was the one 
to fill that responsible position. 

After being, notified of his election as Principal 
of the Commercial Department, Prof. Howe en- 
tered upon his duties with a vim that has made him 
popular from the beginning as a penman and com- 
mercial teacher. He began his work in a small room 
with thi-ee students, and the attendance increased 
in two years so that he was obliged to move into 
the third stor3- of the main building, where he could 
have the required room. In 1884 there was a de- 
mand made upon him to open a night school for 
the teaching of penmanship, book-keeping and gen- 
eral commercial branches in a business course. He 
acceded to that dem.and, the school was opened in 
the central part of the city, a large attendance was 
secured, and from that day the Oskaloosa Business 
College proper, of which Prof Howe is Principal 
and proprietcjr, was an assured success. Much 
credit is due him for the establishment of this 
needed institution of our citJ^ In its details, its 
course of study, the methods employed in teaching, 
and in fact all that goes to make up a first-class 
commercial college, it is in all respects the equal of 
an}' similar institution in the West, and to see it 
will convince any skeptical person if he wishes a 
thorough commercial education. 

In September, 1885, Prof. Howe bought the 
furniture of the old Ottuniwa Business College, ami 
placed one of its students at its head, and it also is 
in good running order now, and the Ottumwa 
people have given him manj' fine testimonials for 
reviving this old school and making it the beacon 
light it is to-da^'. In March, ls,so. Prof. Howe 
opened another business college in JIarshalltown, 
Iowa, and put another one of his students in charge, 
which shows the disposition he has to do well by 
his best students if they wish to become teachere iu 
the great world of commerce. All these schools 




zxxxxxxxix xxxzuruxii - 



feii i 







296 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



'w 




are well patronized both from home and abroad, 
and his students are found in responsible positions 
everywhere, which spealis well for their instructors 
as well as the schools from wbich they graduate. 

The Professor was married, in 1881, in Os- 
kaloosa, to Miss Ilettie Adlon, a daughter of John 
B. Adlon, a prominent business man of this city. 
By this marriage there are two children — Samuel J. 
and Emily Cloris. Prof. Howe is a member 
of the I. O. O. F., S. of V. and M. W. of A. In 
the first order he has filled all the chairs, and in 1 884 
was representative in the Grand Lodge of the order. 
He is also a verj' active member of the K. of P., 
and is .Second Lieutenant in the U. R. K. of P. As 
a prominent resident of Oskaloosa, and a representa- 
tive citizen of the county, the publishers of this 
Album are pleased to present in their galaxy of 
portraits, that of Prof. Howe. 

OBERT DOAK is a farmer and stock-raiser, 
residing on section 2, White Oak Township. 
He was born in Champaign County, Ohio, 
^ April 1, 1838, and is a son of John and 
Rachel (Swisher) Doak, who were farmers In' occu- 
pation. The first named died in Ohio in 1844; his 
widow still survives, and lives at the old home in 
Ohio. 

The suliject of this sketch, Robert Doak, was 
married, April .5, 18G0, to Miss Eliza J. Shields, a 
daughter of Charles and Julia A. (Mj-ers) Shields. 
By this union there were three children — Maggie, 
Mattie .and Charley. The mother died May 23, 
1873, and Feb. .5, 1874, he was married to Sarah 
Arnold, born Oct. 30, 1835, and a daughter of 
Thomas D. and Lavisa (Scott) Arnold. 

Oct. 8, 18G1, Mr. Do.ak enlisted in Co. I, 66th 
Ohio ^'ol. Inf., and served in that command until 
Dec. 27, 1864. He participated in all the battles, 
skirmishes and campaigns in which his regiment 
took a part, and did his whole dut}' as a soldier. 
In these various engagements he was three times 
wounded. 

In the }'ear 1861) Mr. Doak removed to Mahaska 
Count}', where lie has since resided. He is a mem- 
ber of the G. A. R., and in his political affiliations 




is an enthusiastic Republican. His home farm con- ; 
sists of 231 acres of good land, all in fine cultiva- i 
tion, well improved, with good house, barn and i 
uecessarj' out-buildings. Mr. Doak is prosperous i 
as a farmer, a man of more than average ability i 
and intelligence, who reads, thinks and acts for i 
himself upon all questions, is honorable and up- i 
right, and enjoys the confidence and esteem of 
everj'one in the circle of his acquaintance. 



yA. DURFEE, of Oskaloosa, is a native of 
Erie Count}', Pa., where he was born Jan- 
17,1828. He is a son of Addison and Lor- 
raine Durfee, the former a native of Rhode Island, 
and the latter of Vermont. They removed, in 
1831, to Rochester, N. Y., and eng.aged in the gro- 
cery business, which he continued until his death in 
1833. Mr. .and Mrs. Addison Durfee were the par- 
ents of two children: W. A. Durfee, of Oskaloosa, 
and Emily N., wife of L. Lowry, of Port Byron, 
111. Mrs. Durfee was again married, in 1851, to 
Hon. George E. Holmes, of Port Byron, 111., who 
died in the spring of 1872. 

The subject of this sketch, the only sou, after the 
death of his father, went to Erie County, Pa., where 
he remained until 1839, and then came West with 
his mother to Henry County, 111. Here he attended 
the High School at Geneseo, to fit himself for col- 
lege. In 1850 he settled in Port Byron, 111., and 
embarked in the mercantile trade, which he contin- 
ued for fifteen jears. In 1870 he disposed of his 
stock of goods and engaged in the business of min- 
ing and shipping coal, continuing in that business 
at Port Byron, 111., until the year 1878, when he 
came to this county and purchased an interest in 
the Excelsior mines, south of this citj', which prop- 
erty he developed, and sold his interest to the 
C, M. & St. P. R. R. Co., at present the owners and 
operators of that property. In 1882, after dispos- 
ing of his interest in the Excelsior miue, he opened 
up and developed the Standard mine, located in the 
western part of that city, and of which he has been 
general superintendent from its organization. Mr. 
Durfee is also largely interested in other juiniug 



CSSHHS 



n 



at 1 



YAts^ ."'-^ 



^■?: 



l lXX Jjt-l lJElJIXXXJXt Xl -*>^ 




MAHASKA COUNTY. 



297 



V- 



': properties in the State of Iowa, and particular!}' in 
': Jasper Countj-. As a successful manager in this 
: line of bu.siness, Air. Durfee has no superior, and 
■ few, if any, equals. His knowledge of the coal 
: measures and geological formations of Iowa, is 
; based upon the deductions of science, and his views 
• as an expert are sought after anil prized li}' the coal 
: operators of Iowa. 

ilr. Durfee was inarri(Kl in Port B3 ion. Rock 
: Island Co., 111., Aug. 31, 1853, to Miss Harriet 
: l^ratt, a daughter of Ira Pratt, a native of WajMie 
. Count}-, iS'. v., where she was born June 2'J, 1831. 
: By this marriage there were two children: Grace 
' C, wife of Dwight F. Downing, attorney at law', 
I Oskaloosa, and Clarence W., of Oskaloosa, of the 
I firm of Weeks & Durfee, dealers in general mer- 
' chandise. Clarence is married to Miss Suella Mc- 
I'horrin, of this county. Mr. and Mrs. Durfee are 
members of the Congregational Church. 



~\/\/\, -»ta£j2/©^" 



^>«.^^l/ZW7>v~ -v/v~^ 




i\. : 



u 



I : 
h' : 

h' - 



,ALENTINE BRUBAKER, general farmer 
and stoek-iaiser, resides on section 1.'), Har- 

y/ rison Township. He was born in Ashland 
County, Ohio, Feb. 11, ltS38, and is the son of 
Daniel and Magdalena (Bixler) Brubaker. They 
were natives of Pennsylvania, and of German de- 
scent, and removed fo the State of Ohio about the 
j-ear 1824, residing there until the 3' ear 184i), when 
they came to Slahaska Count}', Iowa, making the 
entire trip 1)}' team. Here they bought nearly 400 
acres of land, which they cultivated and inii)roved, 
and occupied as a home until his deatii in the year 
1862. His wife died in 1804. 

The subject of this sketch has been twice mar- 
ried ; his first wife was Miss Ellen Ratliff, a daugh- 
ter of Thomas and Jlary (Rhinehart) Ratliff, to 
whom he was united Dec. 24, l.s()8, and to whom 
one child was born, Edie, April 12, 1870. He was 
subsequently married to ^liss Anna L. Bullington, 
a daugiiler of William II. and Sarah (Baldwin) 
Butlington. To them six children have been born : 
William II., May 18, 1872; Herbert A., Feb. 20, 
1.S74; John E., Aug. 16, 1876; Mary E., .Sept. 20, 
1878; Harlan D., Feb. 3, 1880; Elizabeth E., 
March I. 18.^3. Mrs. Brubaker's mother, Sarah 



Baldwin, died March 17, 1871). Mr. Brubaker 
owns 160 acres of land at the home farm, another 
eighty acres on the same section, and ten acres of 
timber. His land is all in an excellent state of 
cultivation, while the residence and other buildings 
are of the better grade. Himself and wife are 
members of influence and worth in the Methodist 
Episcopal Church. Politicallj' Mr. Brubaker is a 
Republican. Rating him as a citizen, he is one of 
the best. In all his transactions with men, he car- 
ries out the spirit of the Golden Rule, thereby 
commending himself to all men as honorable and 
upright, and meriting and receiving the esteem of 
all who know him. 



■-J*!^- 



4^ 



l^Mf^> 



o 



'pff^^ loosa, was born in Logan Count}-, Ohio, 
t4i\V Dec. 21, 1817. His parents, Samuel and 
^^Ann (Walker) Ballinger, emigrated from 
Burlington County, N. J., about 1809. The chil- 
dren born to them in that State, w-ere : John, Oct. 
7, 1796; Elizabeth, Nov. 2, 1798; Martha, Dec. 11, 
1800; .Joshua, Feb. 5, 1803; Henry, April 21, 180.5; 
and Hope, Dec. 17, 1807. Mary was born in Ohio, 
Sept. 24, 1810; Samuel, May 9, 1812; Jane, Nov. 
28,1814; Charles, M.arch 0, 1816; Thomas, Dec. 
21, 1817; Isaac, June 11, 1820, making twelve in 
all. Those dying quite young were: Henry, Jane 
and Charles. All tlie rest lived to old age and 
raised large families, having the noble example set 
them by their venerated parents. At the writing 
of this sketch (.January, 1887) only two are liv- 
ing. Isaiic, in Liberty, Union Co., lud., and the 
subject of these lines, in Oskaloosa, Iowa. 

Mr. Ballinger has been married three times; first, 
to Miss Mary Devore,of Champaign County, Ohio, 
June 8, 1837, and to their union were boi'u three 
children, namely, Oliver S. ; Elizabeth, now 3Irs. 
Ed. -Mott; and .Mary E. Oliver and Mary E. died 
in childhood, and their mother April 25, 1845, at 
the age of twenty-four years. It may be truly said 
of her, that she was one of the best of earth's chil- 
dren ; and died in the hope of a blessed immortality. 

The folkiwiug autumn, Mr. BalUrger married 



S '& 



iM 



rtTfT'--,!- 




I 







luri 



xnxizi.muitx 3 j. « i 



rm mctrxu u im 



298 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



11 





Mrs. Lydia A. Hildreth, of the village of Brandon, 
Knox Co.. Ohio, with whom he lived thirty-six 
years. They h.id three children. Thomas Mott, 
the oldest, was born in Ohio, Ang. 10, 1846. In 
1850 the family moved to Iowa, and made their 
first permanent home in Oskaloosa, where Mr. Bal- 
linger organized a Uiiiversalist societj' in the year 
18.51. The societj' numbered some fifty or more, 
and had preaching once a month for several years. 
During these years lots were procured on which to 
build a church. But various causes prevented it 
from being done. One of the main reasons, per- 
haps, was the expiration of the time for which Mr. 
Ballinger was engaged with the society, public 
opinion in those days, particularly in the West, 
being molded by the itinerate custom of the 
Methodists, in making a change every one and two 
years. After about four years Mr. Ballinger thought 
the cause could be better served by having a new 
minister occupy the field, and accordingly the so- 
ciety had various ministers call and preach for a 
short time, liut made no permanent agreement with 
them until Mr. .Jdsi.ah Davis settled for a 3^ear or 
two with thcni. His labors were very acceptable, 
and but for the stringent times in money matters in 
18.57-58, would have made a success in the work. 
Mr. Davis went to other fields of labor, and was 
succeeded by Mr. Fishback, Col. J. P. .Sanford,and 
a Mr. Clayton, all able men, who succeeded well 
for a season, but being somewhat eccentric touch- 
ing various theological opinions, finally withdrew, 
and went into other employments. In the mean- 
time ilr. Ballinger located on a ))iece of land in 
^lahaska County that he had owned for some 
time, and improved a farm, preaching at various 
country places, mostly in school-houses, working 
hard at the same time, improving land and farming. 
In 1864 Mr. Ballinger's only living son, Thomas 
Mott, died of tj-phoid fever. He was nearly eight- 
een years old, tall, and well proportioned, good 
hearted, kind and industrious, loved farm work, and 
took a pride in making himself useful. He was 
dearly loved by all, and his death made a vacancy 
in the family never to be filled. Mrs. Ballinger 
was so affected that she never full}^ rallied from 
the nervous shock she then received, and a few 
years later closed her earthly life, and sleeps by her 



only son in Forest Cemetery. Her two remaining ■ 
children are Augusta and Ella. The former mar- ; 
ried Marqnis Barr, for several years Sheriff of Ma- ; 
haska County, now Warden of the Anamosa Peni- ; 
tentiar}-, in this State; the latter married David ; 
Woods, and lives in Kansas. Mr. Ballinger was ! 
married the third time, in the spring of 1 882, to i 
Mrs. E. J. Johnson, a widow lady residing in Os- 
kaloosa, and they are living on North Market street, 
if not in grandeur, at least surrounded with the 
comforts of life. 

We close this sketch by introduciiig one or two 
short articles from the pens of others, touching the 
religious and political status of Mr. Ballinger. The 
first from the pen of A. C. Edmunds in a publica- 
tion called the Life Boat, and the other from the 
history of the township, b^' H. J. A'ail. 

"Thomas Ballinger is a native of Ohio, where the 
father died in 1845 and the mother in 1854. 
Thomas was raised and well trained in the laborious 
industries peculiar to a farmer's life. He shared 
the advantages of the common schools of Ohio — 
attending from three to six months a year until 
about fifteen years of age. Since that date he has 
been engaged in battling with the duties of life — 
receiving some benefit from private instruction in 
the higher branches and in the languages. In 1834 
he experienced a religions awakening which resulted 
in his joining the Methodist Church. Having his 
attention directed to the subject of baptism he 
finally became a member of the Disciples' Church, 
and for ten years was a preacher of that faith. 
Coming in contact with believers in Universalism, 
and studying the subject of the Divine govern- 
ment and the final destiny of the race as the result 
of beneficent economy, he finally concluded that if 
salvation was good for one it was good for all, and 
that God in His wisdom, justice and goodness would 
so arrange the dispensation of His providence as to 
insure this impartial and nniversal result. This 
mode of refiection led him to embrace the Abra- 
ham ic faith, and for twenty-five years he has been 
proclaiming the unsearchable riches of God's im- 
partial grace. 

"In October, 1 845, he married Lydia A. Hildreth, 
a native of Vermont. In 1850 he moved west and 
settled first in ^'an Buren Count}', but shortly 



: ^ 



(Tf^SSHS 



3t 



fi^^sg-g.,,...,.pi^. 



J - 

ir: 
I : 



\-z 

1::: 

\-:S 
16 

11 

II 



\^\l 



^\ 



v.: 

k 

n.'-: 

1, : 
i( ; 

1 
I 
I 
I 
I 



ru : 



>^ - 
I c 

I : 
I c 

i:: 




moved to Mahaska County, and settled in Oska- 
loosa, wlu-re he lived until 1854. For the next 
two years he engaged in farming' near (Jskaloosa, 
and being invited to take charge of the society at 
Bentonsport, he preached for them for two years 
and then returned to the farm. In 18G1 he moved 
on his present farm six miles north of Oskaloosa. 
During these years lie has preached extensively 
through Southeastern and Central Iowa. He has 
held some eighteen discussions with prominent 
preachers of different denominations. In these 
discussions he has displayed more than ordinary 
forensic ability, and a well grounded knowledge of 
the Bible and of biblical interpretation. In 18()7 
he was elected to the Legislature and served through 
the 12th General Assembly as member of the 
House. He made an independent member — ^con- 
scientious in all his acts — too much so to be tram- 
meled b}' party tactics. He had sufficient manhood 
not to join in the bitter and uncalled-for tirade of 
partisans against Andrew .lohnson as manifest by a 
majority of the members of the Legislature. Such 
is Thomas Ballinger. He is widel}' known through- 
out Eastern, Soutiiern and Central Iowa. In fact 
he has a reputation extending through the range of 
Universalistic believers throughout the West. He 
is a social, whole-souled, genial and upright man, 
without a peer in the West or in the world. Long 
ma}- lie live to bless the circle of friends whose 
burdens of life arc sweetened by his words of coun- 
sel and by the influence of his pure and upright 
life." 

"The last Christian society organized in Sharon 
is the I'niversalist. Although some of the oldest 
citizens of this part of thij county- were well estab- 
lished believers in tlie iloctrine of final restoration, 
and occasional [ireaching was had. yet their organ- 
ization as a religious body is an event of quite re- 
cent date. For man_y ^-e.ars the Rev. 'I'homas Bal- 
linger, of Madison Township, this county, preached 
in the school-house to good sized companies, and 
at such times as invitation had been extended. 
This gentleman may properlj' be regarded as the 
chiefest among the pioneers of the faith, in this part 
of the Stnte. He has preached all over Iowa, 
traveled mucli into Jlissouri and Illinois, and held 
numerous theological debates with various able ex- 



irrxiiiimiiuxtiii 



1 1 KTinftxiiniK' 



IKTTllI 



■^\rm\ 



ponents of different branches of the orthodox 
faith, and never without forcing the conclusion, 
and establishing beyond dispute, that he justl\ 
ranks as an able and skillful debater. No man ever 
engaged him without realizing that he was full 
mated in the contest, and he did well if he success 
fully parried his cimeter thrusts, and succeeds 1 
well if he preserved his theological armor, and was 
able to retreat from the field with the shield of his 
faith untarnished. He is a strong, good man, and 
despite all differences of opinions, despite all creeds 
and jealousies, there are none but must admit his 
religious fervor, his theological skill, his strength of 
intellect and breadth of thought, his largeness of 
heart and superior social qualities, and now that 
his feet are treading the pathway that nears the 
narrow home ordained for all of earth, his years 
numbering almost the ' threescore and ten,' and his 
locks as white as the frosts and snows that so oft 
have come and faded while he earnestl}' labored, 
there are none but honor his worth, and think kindlj' 
of this one of Christianity's earnest advocates and 
humanity's able defenders." 

Mr. Ballinger has been in Iowa nearl}' thirty-seven 
years. Oskaloosa was a village of 300 or 100 in- 
habitants with o\\\\ one small church house; the 
court-house, then a small frame building, is oceu- 
pieil now by the First National Bank, and contains 
several ottices built in good style. A. magnificent 
court-house looms up across the street from the 
northeast corner of the square. The citj' has a 
population of 8,000 souls, and the countj' is unsur- 
passed in the State. He has witnessed all this great 
change and now, like good old Simeon, is read}* to 
depart, sajing, " I have seen Iowa increase its popu- 
lation from 100,000 in 1850, to over 3,000,000." 



L. MYERS is a farmer and stock-raiser on 
section ',). White Oak Township. He was 
born in North Carolina Maj- 22. 1 822, and 
is the son of Joseph and JIary (Ledford) 
.Myers, natives of that State, who removed to In- 
diana in 182!t, and resided there until 1852, when 
they came to IMahaska County, Iowa. Joseph 
Myers was a miller, and followed that occupation 



^ 



\ 



\ 




CSWmTTTTTH 



300 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 




'Pi' 

m\ 



all his life. His wife died in 186.5, and he in 1870. 
They were of German and English ancestry. 

The subject of this sketch, .T. L. Myers, came to 
this county in the spring of 18ri2. He was mar- 
ried, Februar}- 19 of that year, to Miss Welth}- 
Fuller, who was born in Ohio March 12, 1829, and 
is the daughter of Gabriel and Ann (Cunningham) 
Fuller, natives of Pennsylvania, both of whom died 
in Montgomery County, Ind. ,"\Ir. and Mrs. Myers 
are the parents of five children: Cyrena is the 
wife of F. L. .Tackson, and resides in Missouri; 
Mary A., deceased, was the wife of W. H. Whitaker, 
a resident of this county ; Roena M. is the wife of 
William C. Reed; the3' reside in Monroe Town- 
ship, this county, and are the parents of two chil- 
dren ; Oliver .1. married Miss Dell Leathers, and 
resides in Keokuk Countj', Iowa; Sarah J. is de- 
ceased. 

Mr. and iSIrs. Jlyers are memlters of the Christ- 
ian Church. His political affiliations are with the 
National Greenback part}'. He has held all the 
various township offices except that of Road Super- 
visor. Mr. Myers owns 160 acres of very fertile 
land, which he has brought to the highest possible 
state of cultivation, the improvements upon which 
are first class in all respects, and are hardly excelled 
in the county. Upon his farm is a natural spring 
of very fine water, which yields an ample supply 
for all purposes, and is never-failing. Mr. M. is an 
enterprising farmer, and has been reasonably suc- 
cessful in the pursuit of his business. A man of 
more than ordinary acquirements, he keeps himself 
advised on all matters of general interest, is social 
and hospitable, of the strictest integrit}', an up- 
right citizen, and well esteemed wherever known. 



I. LITTLE, deceased, was a native of 
Boonsboro, Md., where he was born Nov. 
2.T, 1820. He was the son of William and 
Wilhelmina Little, who emigrated to Ohio 
when Henry was a small boy, in the year 1835. 
June 1, 1841, they removed to Columbus, Louisa 
Co., Iowa, during our territorial organization, re- 




maining there until Oct. 1, 1848, when they re- 
moved to Mt. Morris, Ogle Co., 111., where he 
resided uutil Oct. .3. 1878, when he removed to 
Oskaloosa. Mr. Little was a carriage-maker bj- 
trade, and followed that business from early man- 
ho(jd. He was a man of large general knowledge 
and well posted in the affairs of the country, a firm 
believer in the principles nf the Republican party, 
and a warm advocate of all its measures. In re- 
ligion he was a member of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, and his wife was a member of the German 
Reform Church. They were the parents of seven 
children, three of whom are living: Eldredge W., 
of Ocean Grove, N. J., is a graduate of Rock River 
Seminary at Mt. Morris, 111. ; Martha A. is the wife 
of Daniel H. Smith, of Ogle County, 111; Harriet 
A. is the wife of Samuel Middour, of Oskaloosa. 
Mr. Little died in Mt. Morris in January, 1872, and 
Mrs. Little is now living in Oskaloosa at the ad- 
vanced age of eighty-four years, and is an un- 
usually active lady for her age. 

The subject of this sketch was early apprenticed 
to the trade of carriage and wagon maker, receiving 
in the meantime a liberal education. In earl}' life 
he assisted his father by the labor of his hands in 
the support of the family. He worked as a jour- 
nej'man in three different States, and when he first 
settled at Mt. Morris, 111., all the stock for the con- 
struction of wagons had to be hauled from Chi- 
cago. 

Mr. Little was married at Mt. Morris, Feb. 1, 
1854, to Miss A. Norvella McNeill, a daughter of 
Francis and Mary E. (Cronise) McNeill. By this 
union there were nine children: William F., edu- 
cated at Mt. Morris Seminary, is engaged in the 
liver}' and transfer business at Oskaloosa, and is a 
memljer of the Oskaloosa Livery and Transfer 
Company; he married Mary E. Adams; Charlie F. 
is a tinner by trade ; he married Annie Y. New- 
comer, and lives at Kuoxville, Iowa; Harry is Su- 
perintendent of the freighting department of the 
Oskaloosa Livery and Transfer Company, and is 
married to Miss Nellie Alexander; Minnie E. is the 
wife of Charles Lofland, Cashier of the Oskaloosa 
National Bank; Arthur B. is .at home, and in the 
employ of the Western Union Fuel Company ; Nel- 
lie L. is stenographer for the American Coal Com- 




I 



•x 
1 



1 i-iLxiimit^ 



k__ ■ 



i^CJi^e^ 



U-r . n gLc^ cii^iti. 




fl= 



& 



1^ 

ii 
¥ 



I 



1) : 






M 

v-z 
V-: 



$1 



1) : 



h 

i:;: 



pail}'; anil \\'ill)iir, Xoni, and Kittic L. are at 
home. 

In l.sTS Mr. Little came to this county, and for 
three j-ears was engaged in merchandising at 
Mnchachinock. He then came to Oslialoosa and 
embarked in tlie grocery business, which he contin- 
ued for a time, and retired from to assume the 
agencj- of and furnish the mines in this vicinity 
with blasting powder. Mr. Little was a man of 
more than ordinary ability, and politically was a 
stanch Republican and an active defender of the 
principles of that party. lie was a man who took 
an active interest in educational matters. Mr. Lit- 
tle was very quiet and unassuming in his manner, 
was a great reader, a profound thinker, and well 
posted in the current topics of the time. He was a 
Mason and Master of the lodge at Mt. JMorris, 111., 
forman3' J'ears, representing his lodge in the Grand 
Lodge of that State. He died in Oskaloosa March 
1, 1880, and was interred with the solemn rites of 
that order and its beautiful and impressive cere- 
mony. Jlrs. Little is still a resident of Oska- 
loosa, where she is surrounded by her children, who 
atisist her in the affairs of life and comfort her in her 
bereavement. 



i-^«<- 






m: 



J;ILLIAM S. CURRikr, junior member of 
the firm of Charles Currier tt Son, is a na- 
tive of Mahaska County, born in White 
Oak Township, Nov. 2G, 18.')2. His parents, 
Charles and Angeline (Harris) Currier, are num- 
bered among the earh' settlers of the county. (See 
sketch of Charles Currier.) ^^'iIliam was reared in 
the country, and .as soon as old and stout enough 
to handle a half bushel of grain, was put to work 
in his father's mill. In the milling business he has 
since continued, and to-day it is said that as a 
miller, ho perhaps, h.as no superior in the State of 
Iowa, if in the West, practically or mechanically 
speaking. He has made milling the study of his 
life, and is the inventor of the Currier 3Iiddlings 
Mill, a i)iece of machinery designed to take up the 
middlings as they are left by the ordinary- process 
of milling, even in the best mills, reducing them so 
that they ma}' be mixed with the otlier product of 
the mill, where they i)roperly belong. The ma- 



Tlie buhrs } 
The J 







h 

.1 



chinery used in this system does this work success- 
full}-, as has been thoroughlj' proven. The buhrs 
used in the middling mills are made of a peculiar 
kind of stone found onlj' in a quarry of stone upon 
the farm of Charles Currier, and near the Currier 
Mills, section 7, White Oak Township, 
are guaranteed against heating or glazing, 
process for using the middlings was discovered by 
Mr. Currier in 187G, and in 1878 he put one of the 
buhrs and the necessary machinery in Siebel .v 
Co.'s Mill, at Oskaloosa, which proved very satis- 
factory.- A conqjany was soon afterward organ- 
ized for the manufacture of the machinerj-, and 
large numbers of inillshave been made and shipped fafai 
to all parts of the L^nion, and in ever}' instance sat- 
isfaction wjis given. Had it not been for the in- 
troduction of the roller process for the grinding of 
wheat, it is probable there would not have been a 
flouring-mill in the whole countrj' without one of 
Currier's Middlings Mills. 

As stated, Mr. Currier began working in the mill 
at a very early age. His educational advantages 
were therefore limited, but he has made a jjractical 
use of knowledge acquired, reflecting on what he 
reads, so that he has a well-stored mind of useful 
information. At the age of seventeen he was placed 
in charge of the mill, and with the exception of a 
3'ear and a half in Eiddyville, where he also run :i 
mill, he has since been in charge. In 1 880 he was 
made a full partner in the business, and the firm 
name of Charles Currier & Son was adopted. In 
the conduct of the mill he has ever been ready to 
adopt any inqirovements that could be made, and 
in pursuance of which in the winter of 1 886-87 
put in the roller system. The mill was ei'ected bv 
the senior member of the firm in ISoO, and is a 
frame structure on a stone foundation. It is lOx 
•14 feet, two and a half stories high, and is in good fefal 
repair. The power by which the mill is run con- }]IH 
sists of two improved rose wheels and one turbine. ^*^ 
The capacity of the mill is fifty barrels every twen- 
t3'-four hours. The reputation of the mill has al- 
wa3's been so well maintained that the name of 
Charles Currier <fe Son .upon a sack of fiour. is suf- 
ficient guarantee of its quality. 

William S. Currier and Malinda J. McKanna were 
united in marriage Ma}' 8, 1871. She is a daughter 

m 



I 



« 



iiiurriiiiLiniixi,, 
xxriiijiiriVixiitiiiiiill 



BZObt- 



ii ixMcn xxr 



zuiuKn 



tnrmnratm 




■irmrriiirK 



302 



mm 



W^ 



U 



JIAHAVSKA COUNTY. 



of Mr. and Mrs. W. H. McKanna, who now reside 
in Oskaloosa. Two children have blest their union 
— Harley and Ralph. Politically Mr. Currier is a 
Republican. Being yet on the sunny side of fortj-, 
and with plenty of grit and energj', there is yet a 
bright future before him. 





AMES WALLING, Sk., of Oskaloosa, is a 
mason by trade. He was born in Delaware 
County, Ohio, March 14, 1812, and is a son 
of John and Keziah (Brown) Walling, na- 
tives of Maryland. The former was a soldier in 
the AVar of 1812, and was taken prisoner at the 
time of Hull's surrender. They had six children, 
five of whom are living: Eliza, wife of James 
MeCune; Mercy, wife of Moses Mcllvaine; Delas- 
mutt; Martha, wife of Walstein Sprague; the^^ are 
all residents of Delaware Count}', Ohio; James is 
the subject of this sketch. Mr. Walling was a 
Democrat in politics, and an admirer of Andrew 
Jackson. Both he and his wife died in Delaware 
Count}', Ohio. 

The subject of this sketch was brought up on a 
farm, and educated in the log cabin school-houses 
of his boyhood days. His father being one of the 
pioneer settlers in the heavily timbered land of that 
State and county, it required laborious work to 
[iroperlj' clear the ground and prepare it for culti- 
vation, in all of which James assisted until his 
father's farm was opened up, and afterward cleared 
a farm for himself, woiking very often nearly all 
night. 

Mr. Walling was married in Delaware County, 
Feb. 25, 1836, to Miss Mary McGee, a native of 
llai-rison County, Ohio, born Nov. 10, 1813, and a 
daughter of Hugh and Sarah JIcGee. When twenty- 
one years of age our subject took up the trade of 
mason, which he followed consecutively for flft^' 
years. In the fall of 18.5G, with his family, he 
emigi'ated to Oskaloosa, where he has since resided. 
Mr. Walling cast his first presidential vote for An- 
drew Jackson. At the breaking out of the Re- 
bellion he left the partj' with which he had been so 
long affiliated and is to-day an advocate of the 
principles of the Greenback part}'. 




'/y//////, ^ /^ ^ 



I 
I 



Mr. and Mrs. Walling became the parents of five 
children, four living: Martha, wife of Edmund 
Fitzgerald, of Oskaloosa; they have nine children; 
Ilenr}^ is a mason by trade, and resides in Oska- 
loosa; he married Mary .Simons, and thej^ have four 
children; James is a mason in Oskaloosa; he mar- 
ried Grace Mettler, and they have five children ; ^ 
and Mary J., of this city. Lavina died at the age j;} 
of twentj'-eight years; she was the wife of William 
L. Zane, and the mother of two children, who now 
live with our subject. Mrs. Walling died March 
30,1881. 

Mr. Walling has been an industrious, hard-work- 
ing citizen during ail the years he has resided in 
this city, and many of the best structures of the 
city are specimens of his skill as a mason. 



Eh 






1=1 

3:1 

Sm 
» 

i 
\\ 

"il 

;i 
?i 

settlers of Lee County, Iowa, as well as of Mahaska J;' 

1 
I 
I 



w 



H. DOWNING is a native of Lee County, 
Iowa, born Aug. 25, 1843, and is a son of 
D. B. and Susan (Martin) Downing, both 
natives of Pennsylvania. His parents were early 




31; 



»; 



I 

3?.l 

1 



Countjr. They came to this county in 1844, locat- 
ing on section 8, Des Moines Township. Here W. 
H. was reared, working on his father's farm, and 
attending the district school when the opportunity 
was offered. He was married, April 3, 1870, to ^la- 
tilda Burton, a native of Clark County, Ind., 
daughter of Leonard and Susan Burton, whose pl| 
sketcli appears in this work. The}' have had l)ut 
one child, Susan Jessie, who died July 14, 1881, 
aged seven years. 

Mr. Downing enlisted in Co. E, 33d Iowa Vol. 
Inf., July 22, 1862, and served three years, partic- 
ipating in the following engagements: Helena, 
Little Rock, Jenkins' Ferry and siege of Mobile. 
In the latter engagement they were under fire four- 
teen days. At Jenkins' Ferry there were thirty- 
eight men of his company in the engagement, 
which lasted seven and one-half hours, nineteen of 
the number being wounded and one killed. Dur- 
ing the term of his enlistment he was in numerous 
skirmishes and long marches, it being estimated 
that the regiment marched about 12,000 miles. In 
all that time he never was off duty or lost a single 



s-^^sssss 




ryr^y^ rTny - yT I, 




miTTTlirrTTITTnTTTT! 




rxTirrrrMiJLiii tii 




1 
P 

^ : 
1 : 
I ; 



x : 



k 

''J : 



I 

^1: 



!l 

1=5 

ir.: 
1 : 

i;ie 

IB 

IrC 

I s 

I C 

'"it 
i;s 

l;t 



ii 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



(lay. never .asking or receiving a furlough. He was 
mustered out nt Rock Island, 111.. Aug. S, \H{'u>. 
when he returned home and resumed farming, 
which occupation he has since fdllowed. He is 
now the owner of thirl y-eiglit acres of good land, 
and his wife is the owner of forty acres. In poli- 
ties he is lil)eral, and has lieen honored by his fel- 
low townsmen with several local ollices, serving as 
Townshii> Trustee three ye.ars, Hoad .Supervisor 
three years and School Director one year. He is a 
mendier of (iiven Lodge. I. O. O. F. His wife is 
connected by membership with the Methodist Prot- 
estant Church. 



■<J- 



•1^ 



-<3- 



^ACOB VERNON, a well-known citizen of 
Oskaloosa, was born in (xreene County, Pa., 
Feb. iCi, 1807. He is a son of Benjamin 
and Sarah (Harry) Vernon, natives of 
Chester County, Pa. They were the parents of six 
children, two sons and foui- daughters: Rachel, 
wlio married Robert Bodkin, of Belmont County, 
Ohio, where she died; Anna, wife of .laphet Smith, 
who died in Adams County, Ohio, in 188G; Han- 
nah, wife of .lohn Sharpney. who died in Washing- 
ton County, Ohio; Alma, wife of David Bell, who 
died in Greene County, Pa.; .Jacob, the subject of 
this sketch ; Bcnjannn, a tailor b^' trade, now re- 
siding in Worth County, Va. The father died in 
1810; his widow survived him until 18G1. She was 
a member of the Society of Friends. 

Jacob Vernon, the subject of this sketch, re- 
mained at home with his mother upon a farm until 
seventeen years of age, when he was apprenticed 
to the trade of a hatter, and served two and a half 
years, for his work receiving his board and clothes. 
After traveling around for about one j-ear he began 
business for himself as a hatter. In 1829 he was 
married to Miss Catherine Smith, burn in Greene 
County, Pa., May 9, 180o. In ISliC Mr. ^"ernon, 
with his family, went to Mom'oe County, Ohio, 
where he engaged in farming, and remained there 
for thirty-three j'ears. In 1869 they came to Os- 
kaloosa, where he has since resided. 

Mr. and Mrs. Vernon were the parents of nine 
children, four of whom are jet living: Lydia A., 



- -R 



wife of William Lowrj', of Noble Countj', Ohio; 
S;irah, wife of .Tames Musser, of Adams Count}', 
Iowa; Catherine, wife of Frank ()ake\', of the 
same county ; Carlton, who in.uiicd Miss Louisa 
.Tones, and is now residing in Mahaska County. 
Mrs. \'ernon died .Ian. 9, 1882. She was a nuMnber 
of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, a sincere 
Christian, one enjoying the respect of all who 
knew her. In September, 18S.>, .Mr. A'ernon was 
again united in marriage, choosing for a comp:in- 
ion Miss Lida Bull, a native of Fayette County, 
Pa. ^liss Bull was left an- orphan at the age of 
three j'ears, and was reared in Philadelphia by a 
brother. 

Mr. 'S'ernon cast his first vote for (4en. Jackson, 
for President. He continued to vote and act with 
the Democratic party until the nomination of A'al- M 
landingham, for Governor of Ohio, during the Re- 
bellion. He then allied himself with the Republi- 
can party, with which lie h.as since continued to act. 
Mr. Vernon has held several local ollices of trust, 
once receiving the nomination for Count}- Treas- 
urer, but on account of a large private business 
would not accept the nomination. Commencing [I! 
life a poor man, Mr. Vernon by his own e.xertions 
has accumulated a large pro|)ert.v and is to-daj- liv- 
ing a retired life, enjojing the respect and confi- 
dence of a large circle of friends. 



KONARl) lURTOX. deceased, was born in 
Virginia in 1810, and was a son of Joshua 
" I' — '\'. and Pha'be Burton, the former being a na- 
tive of ^Maryland and the latter of Pennsylvania. 
Of the early life of the subject of this .sketch but 
little is known, save that he was a farmer's boy 
and, like many others, received but a limited edu- 
cation, but wa^ accustomed to hard work. In 18.52 
he came to Mahaska County and located on section 
34, Garfield Township, where he lived until the 
spring of 18Gi, when he sold out and bought IGO 
acres on section 10, Des Moines Township, where 
he lived until his decease, which occurred Feb. 2(i, 
1880. At the time of his death he was owner of 
208 acres of fine land. In 1839 he was marridl 
to Susan .Mercer, a native of Favette Counlv, 



wm 



r^H. 



iqrm iirio t 



3i...; 






PI 



m 







rrrrr^wwwttw rwi-. : 






irxiixrmrxxrinTixiixi|B 



304 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



liinSiiTTirTirTiaiiTiirrirtxrix^ -tt^ rial 



Pa., daughter of Moses and Elizabeth (Wallace) 
Mercer, who were also natives of that State. They 
had a family of ten children, Ave dying in infancj-. 
The others were: Eliza .J., now the wife of Will- 
iam Hait, of Des Moines Township; .lames Clark, 
who enlisted in the 3d Iowa Infantry during the 
war of the Rebellion and died in hospital at Mex- 
ico, Bio., and was there buried; Matilda, now the 
wife of W. H. Downing, of Des Moines Township; 
Thomas S., who served two years in the 4th Iowa 
Battery, and now resides in Lyie, Minn.; .Jesse M., 
who died in 18G3, aged twelve 3'ears. 

IMr. Burton was a regular ordained minister of 
the Methodist Protestant Church, receiving his or- 
dination in 1850. While carrying on his farm he 
never neglected to preach the Gospel as opportun- 
ity offered. All over this county, as well as in the 
neighboring counties, he has preached Christ and 
Him crucified in almost every school-house. Po- 
litically in early life he was a Whig, afterward a 
Republican, and later in life a CTreenbacker. He 
was a strict temperance man, and was aumug the 
first to advocate prohibition. His widow still re- 
sides on the olil homestead and carries on the farm. 
She is an intelligent woman and mucii respected liy 
all. 



OIIN E. .JONES, of Garfield Township, is a 
native of Wales, and a son of Thomas and 
Blary Jones, natives of Wales, who came to 
America May 11, 18.55, and settled in Lu- 
zerne County, Pa. The former died at Carbondale, 
in Jlay, 18G5, aged seventy- thi-ee years, and had 
followed farming all his life. He was a member 
of the Congregational Church, a man of deep 
piety, and highly esteemed by all who knew him. 
The latter died at Olyphant, Lackawanna Co., Pa., 
in June, 1873, aged eighty-one years. She was a 
member of the same churcii as her husband, and a 
sincere and earnest Christian woman, one with 
large sympathy for those who were in sickness or 
distress about lier, never failing to relieve them as 
much as lay in her power. 

The subject of this sketcii lived with his parents 
until 1SG7, when he came to this count}-, and set- 
tled on section 29, Garfield Township. He followed 



the occupatitm of mining in Pennsylvania for 
twelve years. He was married, Sept. 26, LSGl, to 
Miss Alice V. Roberts, a native of Wales, but who 
came to this country when a cliilil of three yeai-s. 
She was a daughter of Edward and Mary Roberts, 
natives of Wales, where the former was born in 
August, 1812. In the old country he was a miner, 
and held the position of foreman of one of the 
principal mines near where he resided. In his odd 
hours he studied medicine, and practiced among 
the miners as a matter of charity to them, not 
needing their money, as he w'as possessed of ample 
means. He came to America in 1849, and resided 
in Luzerne Count}', Pa., until his death, in 1882, 
at the age of seventy years. His widow still sur- 
vives, and is living in Pennsylvania. 

Jlr. and Mrs. Jones are the parents of seven 
children: Osborne, now in Hitchcock County, 
Neb., engaged in farming; Bertha, wife of G. L. 
Elowers, in same county; Thomas, Edward, Ruth, 
Alice and Katie are at home. 

My. J(mes has been elected School Secretarj' of 
his district nine years in succession, and takes a 
great interest in all matters pertaining to the edu- 
cation of the rising generation. He is a member 
of the I. O. O. F., holding a card from his lodge in 
Pennsylvania. It was his misfortune on one occa- 
casion, while engaged in the work of stacking 
straw, to fall from the top of the stack to the 
ground. In attempting to save himself he threw 
the pitchfork which he had in his hands away from 
him, but it rebounded in such a manner that he fell 
upon two of the prongs, which passed through one 
shoulder and lung and entered his cheek, inflicting 
what the doctors pronounced a fatal wound, but in 
four days he had so far recovered as to be able to 
lie out again. In the summer of 1874 he suffered 
from a sunstroke, and for the two succeeding sum- 
mers was compelled to spend his daylight hours in 
his cellar. 

Mr. Jones owns eighty acres of land at the home 
farm upon which he has three miles of tiling. He 
is also the owner of half a section of land in Ne- 
braska, which he bought as an investment a few 
years ago. His business is that of general farming, 
in which he has achieved signal success. The home 
farm [iroduces liountifuUy under the intelligent 



- ft 
:a 
::i 

ii 

S:l 

tFA 

3:1 

Z-\ 

5-.1 

B':l 



3=^- 



u 

:;i 
' n 

:-i 
z'h 
: n 
::i 

II 
sin 

ZA 

z\ 

z-\ 

Z-\ 
Z'A 

zx 






ftPr'Tirrr-l 



I 



p^^^-^^s^tll...> 



HIXKTIII.III*; 



I txtrmrtTTTtriirT' g 







MAHASKA COUNTY. 



305 



management and thovougli cultivation given it by 
its uwniM-, and he lias not only been enabled to 
secure a good living as a result of his labors, but 
to place a surplus of his earnings in raw land as an 
investment. Himself and good wife are held in 
high esteem by their neighbors and all who know 
them. 



-».4<H-<sJ)j(:J:^-^^H^-e- 



iJrB 




I S 

I i 

I -E 
il : 
ij : 

\i 
\% 

lJ:.C 

^■ 

H ' 

I : 
I 
I 
I 

V 

1 
\ 
i: 

1 

t1 : 

li : 
ij : 



ON. M. E. CUTTS was one of the most dis- 
tinguished of the citizens of Mahaska 
Count}'. lie was truly a self-made man, 
one whose life affords an incentive to the 
young men for emulation. He was a native of Ver- 
mont, Ijorn in Orwell, Rutland County, Maj^ 22, 
1833. His education was such as could be obtained 
in the common schools of his native village and at the 
academies of Brandon, Vt., and Potsdam, N. Y. He 
paid his tuition in these academies by doing janitor 
work, and working for his board after hours. On 
leaving the last named institution, he joined an ex- 
pedition engaged in survejiug and subdividing 
townships into sections, in Saginaw Count}', Mich. 
In 1853, when but twenty years of age, he emi- 
grated to Wisconsin and located at Shebo}'gan Falls, 
where he was engaged in teaching school and read- 
ing law for two years, and then nine months in She- 
boj'gan city as Principal of the public schools. In 
June, 1855, he came to Oskaloosa, finishing his law 
studies in the office of Loughridge & Cassiday, and 
being admitted to the bar the following August. 
On his admission he moved to Montezuma, the 
county seat of Poweshiek County, where he formed 
a partnership with a Mr. Cassidaj', under the firm 
name of Cutts & Cassiday, making a lasting repu- 
tation for legal ability. 

In May, 18G1, Mr. Cutts was elected for an extra 
session of the House of Representatives of the 
State. In the fall of the same year he was re- 
elected at the regular State election, and it being 
the war session of the (Jcneral Assembly, gave 
early proof of his good judgment and discreet 
counsel. In 1863 he was elected to the State Sen- 
ate and served four years, representing Poweshiek 
and Iowa Counties. Previous to this time he 
served as Prosecuting Attornej' for the Poweshiek 




.M.i.: 



District. In 1866 he returned to Oskaloosa and 
formed a law partnership witii .Judge Seevers. which |. ^-_- . 
continued most happily until the election of Mr. !^|i{ 
Seevers to the Supreme Hench. In \^t>'.} he was ^^^V j 
chosen to the Legislature from this county, having^: 
for his associate Hon. John F. Lacey, a most able 
representation, as all will admit who knew the two 
men. In February, 1872, he was api)ointed At- 
torney General of the State vice Hon. Henry O'Con- 
nor, resigned. He was elected to the otilce in the 
fall of the same year, and re-elected in 1874, hold- ,. 
ing that position until 1877. His reputation was ,k 
made national, when, as Attorney (ieneral in the 
celebrated ''Oranger'' railroad cases, he won for 
the people and the State the right to control these 
corporations. Those cases placed him in the front llM^ 
i-ank of the Iowa bar. jj} 

At home Mr. Cutts was nearly always on tine [| 
side or the other of all important cases in law. In 
1«78 he was the choice of his party for Congress, 
declining, however, the proffered honor, but in 
1880 accepted the nomination and entered upon an 
active canvas of his Congressional district. Not 
heeding the advice of friends, he spoke day and 
night during the entire campaign, and the result 
was the serious impairment of his health. He en- 
tered the canvas with a inajorit}' of 1,800 against 
him in the district, but secured a substantial vic- 
tory over his opponent and was given the certifi- 
cate of election. A long and bitter contest fol- 
lowed in the House of Representatives, and in the 
closing hours of the session he was ousted and his 
seat given to his opponent. Again, in 1882, he was 
unanimously nominated by the Republicans for 
Congress, and was triumphantly elected. But his 
career as a Congressman was to be a short one in- 
deed. The disease contracted in the campaign of 
1880 was slowl}' sapping his life blood away, and 
on S.aturday, Sept. 1, 1883, liis spirit passed away. 

Marsena E. Cutts and Miss Helen Friek, daugh- 
ter of Emanuel and Elizabeth (Henley) Frick, of 
Sheboj'gan, Wis., were united in marriage June Hi, 
1857. Their married life wa.s a hap|)y one, their 
love one for the other growing stronger and 
stronger as the years went bj'. Four children came 
to bless their uniou — Lizzie, Charles E., Thomas 
aiid Nellie, two i>f whom, Nellie and Charles, passed >^ 



mm 



U 1 



m 
U 






iXlLLlllUllXtllU-IlttStJLlItt 




TiSiixjMttxiTtkjrxtw%ixni 




cii-ijLiuni 



Lj - JA X. 1 ixj t r u n t I X I rj > 



rrrTTxirn rm mm 1 m iTi 1 



306 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



on and were ready to welcome the father to the 
better land. The life of the father was wrapped 
up iu these children. When Charles died he re- 
marked, "The half of iny life is gone." When Nellie 
passed away he was seriously affected, being in poor 
health himself. Two children, with the mother, 
now remain, "waiting, only waiting," while thoughts 
of the kind husband and indulgent father, and lov- 
ing children fill their minds, and they determine to 
be faithful to the end. His death is mourned by 
family and friends alike. We say he is dead, but may 
it not be as Longfellow has well said : 

'•We see but dimly tlu-ougli tlie ini-r and v,i])i)rs 
Amid tli<!se eartlilj' damps; 
AVIiat soeiii to us but sad funereal tapers 
May l)e IIi'avoii"s distant lands. 

'•Tliore is no death. What seems so i> traii>iticiii ; 
This life of mortal breath 
Is but a suburb of the life Elysiau 
Wliose portal we eall death." 

Mr. Cutts, as a lawyer, was the peer of any man 
in the State. He was diligent, .sparing no time nor 
pains in the preparation of his cases. He was no 
idler and had no sympath}' with an}' man in the 
profession who was. He had no special feature in 
which he was strong, but was regarded as a strong- 
man in all things, whether before a jury or Court. 
He was disposed in all matters to inquire into the 
why and wherefore of everything pertaining thereto. 
He did not stop with the questions of his profes- 
sion, Ijut grasped others and made them pass 
through his crucible. He was a man of sturdy likes 
and dislikes. As a partisan he was uncompromis- 
ing always. As a political orator, few men could 
eqtial him, and none were his superiors in forceful 
sarcasm. In debate he was strong, read}-, quick 
and merciless. In his political views he was con- 
scientious, and advocated them because he believed 
them to be morally right. As a man he thoroiighlj' 
despised all shams, and wanted no empty words or 
vain show, being himself plain in all his life. 
Those who knew him best loved him most. By 
some he was thought to be distant and cold; by 
others who knew his inner life he was regarded as 
a man most generous and charitable. The creditor, 
showing a disposition to paj^, was never pressed by 
him. and as Judge Seevers remarked at a meetina: 



JHHHHHHr'Hr'rijdci 



of the bar, "There were hundreds that knew and 
apjM-eciated his kindness. If .you want to know 
the facts as to his generosity go to the hiboring 
men of this citj'^, and inquire of them if ever they 
went to him for a favor that was not granted. The 
colored man who passed by his body to-day and 
burst into tears appreciated the nobilitj' of liis na- 
ture. And why.' Because he had been kind to 
him, and not only to him but to others. He never 
turned a deaf ear to one who was in want, and no 
greater epigraph could be inscribed upon his tomb 
than that he was kind to the poor. Such a man 
was JIarsena E. Cutts in all his life. ( )f him it can 
well be said that now 'He rests from his labors 
and his works do follow him.' " 

--V •.o*o.■(C)^><v1©••o♦o V-- 



u 

::i 

3:1 

Ki 

Si; I 
El 

sn 

a ' 

s:i 

a-i 

3!il 

:si 
P\ 

3? I 

3.; I 

an 

3;v 

3M 

3i:l 

dr:i 
l\ 

S'-.n 

Z'-\ 
3?i 
;-;i 

s;i 



APT. THOMAS EBEY, carpenter and joiner, 
T at Oskaloosa, was born in Indiana County, 
Pa., Sept. 11, 1829, and is the son of Jacob 
and Mary (Morrison) Ebe}', who were the parents 
of five children, three of whom are living : Thomas, 
John and Jacob. John enlisted in the OSth Penn- 
sylvania Infantry, and was shot through the legs, 
having one of them amputated, and went through 
the operation three times, twice in field hospital. 
Thomas, with the assistance of his brother, took 
him to Philadelphia, where thej' emploj'ed the most 
skilled surgeons of Pennsylvania Hospital, and by 
great care and at an expense of nearly' $2,000, 
saved his life. He was a prisoner in the hands of 
the enemy at Libby and Belle Isle. He is at pres- 
ent residing in Indiana County, Pa., where the 
people have favored him by electing him to the 
otHce of Count}' Treasurer twelve successive years. 
Jacob is a farmer residing in the same county. 
John, the father of Thomas Ebey, died at the age 
of thirty-two, but his mother lived to attain the 
age of eighty-six years, and died July 3, 18SG. 

The subject of this sketch was reared upon a 
farm until he was twenty j"ears old, when he went 
to Cincinnati, Ohio, and was apprenticed for three 
years to the trade of carpenter and joiner. Hav- 
ing lost only a few days of time during his ap- 
prenticeship his employer generously gave him a 
complete set of tools and a scholarship in Beacon 



3:':- 1 
i;i 

am 
P 



a; I 
an 

3"; I 



:;h 



It 



1 txijaa-txxri xiiinji_oxij-i 



tSr'r'r'r^ri 



aiiiii]M TTiniili ^»i]iiiimtnTiniii*ii i Rti^ 



^^ 




MAHASKA COUNTY. 



307 



si: 
up 

\i 

IsS 

11 



IS 
I?? 



]n 



us 
u:: 
V - 

hi - 



Commercial College, Avhioli lie attended, .-ind tlicrc 
graduated with iioiior. In 1853 he returned to 
rennsylvania, and April 1.'5, 1S54, was united in 
marriage with Miss Sarah ,1. Hryan. !ii 1858 he 
removed to Indiana, settling in Rush Count}', where 
he embarked in tiie lumber trade and as contractor 
and builder. In 1801 he enlisted in Co. K, 37th 
Ind. A'ol. Inf., which lie organized and of which he 
was commissioned Captain, lie participated in the 
following engagements with his command, viz: 
Stone River, Chickamauga, I>uzzard"s Roust, Look- 
out Mountain, and all intermediate battles and 
skirmishes up to the siege of Atlanta. His regi- 
ment was under command of Gen. Thomas, who 
was left to look after Hood while Sherman pursued 
his march to the sea. During the second daj''s 
fight on Missionary Ridge, while a charge was being 
made, a hand-to-hand tight occurred, in which the 
Captain was struck on the shoulder with a musket, 
which drove the elbow bone down through the 
rtesh of the arm. The Captain made two resolves 
when he entered the service, one of which was 
never to go into a hospital, and the other, not to be 
taken a prisoner, so he resigned his commission and 
returned to Indiana, where he engaged in farming 
for a short time. 

In 1865 Capt. Ebej- removed to Clinton County, 
Iowa, settling at Ue Witt, and in 1868 came to Os- 
kaloo.-^a, where he has since resided, following his 
occupation as builder and contractor. He was a 
member of the G. A. R. in Indianapolis, Sous of 
Columbia, which is composed of commissioned of- 
ficers and is also a member of the Order of the 
Knights of the Golden Eagle. 

Mr. and ^Mrs. Ebej became the parents of ten 
children, nine yet living, viz : Mar}- E., Sarah R., 
Annie L., John F., Samuel M., Flora Alice, Charles 
T., Elmer II. and Lena M. 3Ir. and Jlrs. Ebej- are 
acceptable members of the Presb3-terian Church. 
Politically Mr. Ebey is a Republican, and has been 
since the organization of that i)art3-. He is a man 
who enjo^'s the confidence .and esteem of his fellow- 
citizens; is of positive convictions, casts the weight 
of his influence on the side of good morals, and is 
!is public spirited and patriotic now as when the 
war clouds hovered over the land. 

Mar}' M. Ebey, the niotlur of c>ur subject, was a 



cultured lady, a fluent speaker and a public debater 
during the days of tiic anti-slavery agitation before 
the w.ar. Her home was a station on the under- 
ground railroad, and many an escaped sla\e lias re- 
ceived aid and comfort at her generous hand and 
full directions to aid him inescaidng from the thral- 
dom of slavery. 



:^'^ '^^l:^' t"^ 




T5SSi>. 




LOJsZO BEAMAN is a farmer residing ou 
section 6, Spring Creek Township. He was 
born in the State of Vermont, Feb. i.'i, 
181!), and is the sou of Joshua and Han- 
nah (Alcott) Beaman, both of whom were natives 
of Vermont, and died in the St.ate of New York, 
when our subject was but ten years of age. Joshu.a 
Beaman was a farmer, and served as a soldier in 
the War of 181 •2, removing, at its close, and when 
the subject of this sketch was an infant, from A'er- 
mont to the State of New York. When Alonzo at- 
tained his twenty-fourth year, he removed to Ber- 
rien County, Mich., remaining there until 1858, 
wheu he came to Benton County, Iowa, where he 
staid ten years, and until the year 1868, when he 
came to Mahaska County, Iowa, where he has since 
resided. 

Mr. Beaman was married in 1842 to Mary E. Ir- 
win, and to them one child was born — ilartha, who 
died June 20, 1864. His wife died March 30, 1845, 
and March 9, 1848, he was again united in marriage, 
to Sarah C. Stickney, and to them have been born 
si.v children: Alfred N., born Sept. 13, 1849, died 
April 25, 1851; Edgar A., born July 24, 1852, is 
married to Miss Ella Taylor, and resides in Mis- 
souri; Albert, born Oct. 6, 1860, I'esides in Spring 
Creek Township; Julius A., born Dec. 14, 1862, is 
also a resident of Spring Creek Township. Two 
children died in infancy. 

Mr. and Mrs. Beaman are members of the Con- 
gregational Church. He is a member of the Ma- 
sonic fr.aternity. In his political alliliations he is a 
Republican, and while not an oHice-seeker, has held 
all the various township offices, except that of Con- 
stable. His farm consists of 100 acres of first 
(luality land, all under a good state of cultivation, 



iiiiiriij di lu rr J i j 




^jg ^ f!'T!f '^^'^ ^'''' '^J=^^* ^ f* •= 




I XJJlXttlXIl ! 



KSriS 






308 



- ■ . . - - 1 n riTT n ma L.^_ 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



I frrW "V r"¥T ?T-« T ^"VirgTT ni i 



m 



u 



mm 



with the very best character of improvements. In 
his business JMr. Beanian has been more than fairly 
successful, and has reaped a good reward for the 
labor of his hands. To brin? about a result so de- 
sirable as this, he has carefully and judiciously man- 
aged his business, using good judgment and econ- 
omv. Mr. Beaman is a man of fine social qualities 
and is held in high esteem by his friends and neigh- 
bors. 




ON. JAMES BRIDGES. Among the old 
settlers of Mahaska County who have lived 
to see it develop from its primitive condi- 
tion to tiie fine agricultural position it oc- 
cupies in comparison with other counties in the 
State, and who has done his share toward its ad- 
vancement, is the subject of this notice. He came 
to this count}' when twenty-nine j-ears of age, in 
.June, 1840, and has made a continuous residence 
here since that date. He is a gentleman who has 
[F'^ I accumulated what he has of this world's goods 
11 :, I! J through his own energy and perseverance, and in 
I|(l3pll|| t]jg sun.set of life is enabled to retire from active 

h: TJ labor; he resides on the corner of South and JMar- 

n g 



pill 



m 
m 



ion streets, Oskaloosa. 






James Bridges was born in Dearborn County, 
Ind., near Aurora, Aug. 7, 1820, and is a son of 
Bartholomew and Pruah ((Treen) Bridges. When 
eleven years of age he accompanied his parents to 
Indianapolis, and three miles from that city was oc- 
ji, U cupied in farming. He was married in Indianapolis, 
Feb. 2, 1843, to Miss Elizabeth, daughter of John 

Ij [ Taylor. She was born in Smyrna, Kent Co., Del., and 
bore her husband four children, two sons and two 

ll|l daughteis : James J. was twice married ; first to 

! Miss Emma, and secondly, to Miss Nettie Feny, and 

is at present residing in Courtland, Neb.; Hannah 

U. became the wife of William B. Harris, a farmer 

of Monroe Township, this county ; William R. mar- 

:t3ried Hettie S. Fisher, and they are living near In- 
dianapolis, this county; Mary I. is the wife of Eli 

; C. Piersel, and they also reside near Indianapolis. 

aThe loving wife and kind mother departed this life 

iJjApril 12, 1883, her demise occurring on the farm 
in Monroe Township. 

In 1849 Mr. Bridges moved to Monroe Town- 




ship, Mahaska County, locating at Indianapolis, 
where for four years he was engaged in merchan- 
dising. He was the first Postmaster there, and 
from that place moved on a farm in that township, 
where he emliarked in the raising of stock and in 
the cultivation of his land, and continued in agri- 
cultural pursuits until August, 188.5. He was a 
second time married, March 4, 1884, near Indian- 
apolis, to Miss Rebecca E. Fisher. She was born 
in Zanesfleld, Logan Co., Ohio, and to her union 
with our subject one child has been given, Earle 
F., born Dec. 14, 18S4. 

Mr. Bridges was a member of the Eighteenth and 
Nineteenth Iowa General Assemblies, and is the 
only man who has been his (jwn successor in this 
county. He has held the minor oflices of the 
county, such as Township Supervisor, School Di- 
rector, Treasurer, etc. He was at one time proprie- 
tor of about 800 acres of land, but has divided it 
up among his children, with the exception of one 
farm of 120 acres, which he still owns, and is now 
living in retirement. Socially he is a member of 
the Masonic fraternity, belonging to Triluminar 
Lodge at Oskaloosa. In politics he is a Republican, 
having voted with that party since its organization, 
and prior to that time was a Whig. He is a gentle- 
man respected for his integrity, and is one of Ma- 
haska County's leading and foremost citizens. 

fi^ss^ AMUEL STORM, deceased, was a farmer 
^^^^ on section 9, Cedar Township. He was 
|i\/__Jl) born in Ross Count}', Ohio, Jan. 25, 1836, 
and was a son of Jacob and Hannah 
(King) Storm, the former of whom died in Ross 
County, Ohio, but his widow yet survives, and lives 
in Muscatine, Iowa. Samuel Storm was married to 
Zenetta Cooper, who was born in Highland County, 
Ohio, Dec. KS, 1840, and is the daughter of John 
and liliza J. (Reed) Cooper, the formei- of whom 
lives in Ohio, and the latter died in that State 
about the year 1 858. Mr. and Mrs. Storm became 
the parents of eight children : Hannah E., born 
July 29, 18G1; Henry, Fel). 23, 18G3; Jennie, 
March 19, 1865; Cora B., Dec. 25, 1869; Allen, 
Dec. 16, 1871; Frank, Jan. 21, 1873; Delia, born 




jriiixntxi 



I m TTTOxn 1 






1 

n 



li 

li 



u 



i 



'pjigijg^l' 






MAHASKA COUNTY. 



May 4, 1875, died Jan. 2:i. 1 SS.i ; Hird ()., born 
Sept. 1-2, lS7i). 

Samuel Storm died Dec. 8, 1884. His widow 
still survives, and is the owner of 180 acres of land, 
all in good cultivation and well impr(,)vcd. She is 
a member of the Metliodist Kpiscoiial Cluirch. (Jur 
subject was a man of most excellent character, 
high-minded, honorable, and generous to a fault, 
which qualities commended him to a host of friends, 
bv wiiom he was greatlv esteemed. 






'\Ml B. MOBLEY resides upon section 14, Des 
Moines Township. He is a native of Bel- 
mont Count}-, Oiiio, born in 1821, and is a 
son of Levi and Sarah !MobIey, the former 
being a native of the District of Columbia and the 
latter of Harrison County, Oliio. In 1852 Mr. 
Mobley, the subject of this sketch, moved to Henry 
County, Iowa, and in 1859 came to this county, 
and purchased forty acres of land south of the 
river in Des Moines Township, where he lived until 
the fall of 18G9, when he moved to section 14, 
where he now lives and has 104 acres of land, 
fifteen of which are devoted to fruit. 

In 1841 Mr. Mobley was united in marriage with 
Lucy Pratt, by w-hom he had tln-ee sons: Chester, 
now in Colorado, engaged in the stock business; 
Seth, at Grand Island, Neb., engaged in the news- 
paper business, and also a real-estate dealer ; George, 
now in Washington Territor}', engaged in farming. 
They all served three years in the 7th Iowa Cav- 
alry during the war of the Rebellion. 

Mr. Mobley 's second marriage occurred in ISoO, 
when he wedded Elizabeth Dana, a native of Wash- 
ington County, Ohio. By this union there were 
eleven children, all of whom are now living: James 
is in Oregon engaged in farming; Alonzo, in Ma- 
haska Countj-, engaged in the fruit business; Rich- 
ard, now in Nebrasica, engaged in farming; Ma}' is 
the wife of Edward Wo(k1, a native of California, 
who now resides in Sutton County, in the Sacra- 
mento Valley, that State; Owen is also in Cali- 
fornia, engaged in farming; the others are William, 
Grace, Frederick, Mack, Carrie and Brice. 




Tiie father uf 'Slv. .Moble}- was a f.nrmer, and 
died in 1855, aged sixty-five years; his mother 
died in 187.S, at the age of eighty-four years. His 
father was a soldier in tiie War of 1.S12, while Mr. 
Moljley himself enlisted in the 42d Iowa Infantry, 
as a Lieutenant, but never left the State. In early 
lif(! he learned llie trade of a boat-builder, and 
worked at tlie same from 1842 to 1850. It was 
his custom to build a boat, load it with produce, 
and run it to New Orleans, where he would sell the 
boat and cargo at a profit. In 1 850 he engaged in 
the drug business, which he continued for two 
years, but on account of ill-liealth was compelled 
to sell out the business. In 1852 he moved to 
Ilenr}- Count}-, Iciwa, where he worked one year as 
a carpenter, and for the same length of time was 
engaged in the hotel business. He then ran an en- 
gine in a mill for two yeai-s, after which he moved 
to Centerville, Iowa, where he lived from the sum- 
mer of 1856 till the spring of 1859, when he came 
to this county, as already stated. Since coming 
here he worked for three winters at mining, the re- 
mainder of the time being engaged in general farm- 
ing, stock-raising and the fruit business. His sales 
of fruit now amount annually to upward of 11,500. 
He is a member of the Masonic fi'aternity. 



^^1=^- 



<jf] OIIN McMAINS, deceased, was born in Owen 
County, Ky., Jan. 18, 1815. In 1825 he re- 
moved to Indiana, then a wild and unsettled 
country, remaining in that .State until 1836, 
when he came to the Territory of Iowa, then a vast 
expanse of prairie, occupied almost solely by Indi- 
ans, buffalo, and the wild animals of the })rairie, 
locating in what is now known as Cedar County, 
where he remained for eight years, the Indians be- 
ing his only companions. He then returned to In- 
diana, and remained three years. Returning again 
in 1847 to the State of Iowa, he came to M.ahaska 
County, settling in Union Township, where by pre- 
emption and entry he secured a large tract of land, 
owning at one time nearly 700 acres of land in 
that township, which he divided witii his children, 
so that at his death l>ut 240 acres remained. In 
early life Mr. MeMalns was an old-line Whig, but 



PI 

I :i 

si 



u 



1.4 



•imm 



li 



ODomnua 



2 CXUlXXlIZtXlZXUXXlIXX-IIXJX' 



t zju xj zxxz rxxxzi rx 1 1 1 



'i£M'=-- 







310 




m 
m 
m 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 





he affiliated with the Republican party upon its 
organization, ami was its warm supporter and de- 
fender until his decease. He held manj' local 
ofliees of trust and responsihilit}-, such as Town- 
ship Trustee, School Director, etc., performing all 
the duties imposed with intelligence and fidelity. 

In 1837 Mr. i\lc]Mains was united in marriage to 
Miss Jane (ioddard, a native of Kentucky. ]\y 
this union there were eight children, five of whom 
are living, viz. : P^lizabeth, wife of John H. Fry, 
deceased; Ann, wife of J. B. Bolton, of the firm of 
P.olton & McCoy, attorneys at Oskaloosa ; Mary H, 
wife of E. F. Bolton, a farmer in Mahaska Comity : 
Isaiah, of Kew Sharon, and William, at Axtell, Kan. 
j\lrs. Jane McMains died in l.s.jcS. She was an ac- 
ceptable and leading member of the Christian 
Church. Mr. McMains was again married, Jan. 1, 
18()1, to Mrs. Rachel Chldester, formerly Rachel 
Ilawlej', who was born in Chatauqua County, N. 
Y., Aug. 27, 1S29. Her father, Erie Hawley, was 
born Jnl}' 2'.t, 1797. He married Miss Hannah J. 
Engle, Dec. 22, 182n, who was born Aug. 29, 1808. 
They Avere the parents of eight children, four liv- 
ing: Elisha, of Mahaska Count\', Iowa; Rachel, 
widow of John McMains ; John, of Mahaska Count}', 
Iowa, and Cordelia, wife of James W. Johnson, of 
Oskaloosa. Two of the children died in infancy. 

Mr. Hawley left New York about the year 1832,- 
locating in Logan Count}', Ohio, then an unsettled 
country; here he remained until the year 1855, 
when he came to JNIahaska County, where he re- 
mained until his death in 1880, at the age of over 
eightj'-two 3'ears. His wife died the same year at 
the age of seventy-two. ]\Ir. and Sirs. Hawley 
were members of the Christian Church for many 
3'ears, holding a prominent position in its councils 
and enjoying the confidence and esteem of their 
neighbors and friends. He was an honest, upright 
man in all his dealings with his fellow-men. His 
home was one of hospitality and good cheer, and 
he died beloved by all who knew him. 

John and Rachel McMains were the parents of 
three children — Oliver, Ida and Erastus, all of 
whom reside in this county. Mrs. McMains was 
previousl}' manied to Worthington Chidester, by 
whom she had one son, Holdridge, now a resident 
of Barber County, Kan. Mr. Chidester was an ac- 





ceptable member of the Christian Church, and died 2 
Oct. 21, 1858. John McMains was one of the 3= 
early pioneers of this county, and aided very ma- 
terially in the development of its resources. The 
lands selected by him were among the best in that 
section of the county, and all the improvements 
were of a superior (piality. He was a prominent 
member of the Christian Church, a sincere and 
earnest worker, and gave of his money in support 
of the same. He was a nnin of his word, and dealt 
fairly and honorably with all men. Mrs. McMains 
resides in Oskaloosa, and is a member of the same 
chui'ch. 






MOORE, of Harrison Township, beside 
occupation of general farming, com- 
bines that of grain-bu3'er and stock-dealer 
)^ at Cedar, a station on the Burlington & 
Western Railroad. He was born in Warren County, 
Ind., Aug. 27, 1842, and is the son of John F. and 
Mary F. (Mattox) Moore, who came to Mahaska 
County in 1843 from Indiana, and yet resides in 
this township. R. W. Moore was married, Oct. 15, 
1866, to Mary E. Cole, the daughter of Samuel and 
Sarah (Ross) Cole. The former was a minister of 
the Methodist Episcopal Church, and is now dead; 
the latter is still living, and makes her home with 
the subject of this sketch and other members of the 
family. Mr. and Mrs. Moore became the parents 
of five children— Ilila V., H. Bell, Franklin F., 
Charles C. and John ; the last two are deceased. 

In February, 18G4, Mr. Moore enlisted in Co., 
B, 36th Iowa Vol. Inf., Capt. S. A. Swigget com- 
manding. The regiment encamped at Davenport, 
and proceeded from there to Little Rock, Ark., and 
was with Gen. Steele in his expedition against 
Shrevesport, La., but failed in the object of the ex- 
pedition. The subject of this sketch was taken 
prisoner at Mark's Mill, Ark., as was the entire brig- I 
ade, and held as prisoners for ten months, and J 
afterward exchanged at the mouth of the Red River, 3 
Arkansas. The}' were then sent to New Orleans, 5!^ 
where they drew clothing, recruited their wasted ;i 



. 



I 
■'IS; 



rmm-j' 



\ - 

I:: 

1. 



lis 



If 

1 

i| 

1 

1 
1 
1 

1: 



li 



I 




MAHASKA COUNTY. 



311 



■r-\\ 



lic'ultli, and were given a thirtj" days' furlougli to 
go to their homes. On the expiration of tlieir fur- 
lough they returned to St. Charles, on the White 
River, when they were ordered to Davenjiort, Iowa, 
for muster out and discharge from service, and our 

W- subject returned home, where he has been nearly 
ever since. 

Mr. and Mrs. Moore are members of the Method- 
ist Episcopal Church. He is a member of the G. 

]|?5 A. R., and politically a Republican. Mr. Moore is 
a successful farmer and business man in all the va- 
rious lines pursued by him, is a courteous gentle- 
man, a good neighbor, a generous man, and enjoys 
the confidence and esteem of his neighbors and 
friends. He has twice been Postmaster of Cedar, 
Iowa. 

--' ^#^ -^ 




AKRY L. SPEXCKR, President of the Os- 
kaloosa National Bank, and the H. L. .Spen- 
cer Company, wholesale grocers, Oskaloosa, 
was born at Spencer Station, Guernsey Co., 
Ohio, Dec. 30, 1842. His birthplace is a station on 
the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, and was named for 
his father, Asa Spencer, a native of Loudoun 
County, Va., born in the year 1807, first a farmer 
by occupation, and afterward a merchant, who, 
though not a wealth}- man, lived retired during ids 
later life and died in 187;"). The mother of H. L. 
Spencer was Phrebe E. (Piggott) Spencer. She 
was born in St. Clairsville, Belmont Co., Ohio, in 
1809, and is j'et living at the old home in Ohio. 
Asa and Pha'be Spencer were married in St. Clairs- 
ville, Feb. 2, 183.J, and were the parents of eight 
children : Ellen P., wife of P. C. Cowgill, a mer- 
chant of Spencer Station ; Ann, wife of E. A'. Ship- 
ley, of Barnesville, Ohio; Frank S. is a farmer at 

, the subject of 
kaloosa; Amos P. 
is Secretary, and G. N., Treasurer, of the H. L. 
I =5 Spencer Companj- ; Melissa is the wife of J. G . Rob- 
' erts, a farmer of Cedar County, Iowa. 

The subject of this sketch was raised on a farm, 
and received his education in the common schools. 
Feb. 9, 18G3, he enlisted as a private soldier in Co. 
B, 9th Ohio Vol. Cav., was afterward promoted 
First Sergeant, and detailed on special duty at 



J 

=1 



{iS -." " -■' ' •■- 

x'-S the old homestead in Ohio; Harry L., 

1 :s this sketch; John P. resides at Oskah 



m 

IS 






3? 



HUB 



brigade headquarters, receiving his discharge from 
service in August, 1805. After the war he entered 
the employ of an extensive commission house and 
wholesale queensware store at Zanesville, Ohio, re- 
maining with them for two years, and in the fall of 
18G7 came to this city and engaged in the wholesale 
grocer}' business, associated with F. 3. Terrj-, under 
the firm name of Terry iSi Spencer. After a lapse 
of one year the style of the firm was changed to 
Terry, Wright & Spencer, Mr. T. T. Wright of Os- 
kaloosa having purchased an interest. A few years 
later Mr. Terry disposed of his interest, and the 
business was continued by tlie remaining partners, 
under the name and style of Wright ik Spencer, for 
a period of ten years, and until the death of Mr. 
Wright, in 1874, after which an organization, un- 
der the firm name of H. L. Spencer & Co., com- 
posed of Harr}' L., Amos P. and G. N. Spencer, 
and Joseph R. Hague, was effected, and the busi- 
ness continued under that name and style for three 
3-ears. Feb. Ki, 1883, the present organization, 
known as the H. L. Spencer Company, was brought 
about, the three brothers before named constitu- 
ting the firm. 

At the date of the organization of the parent 
firm, Oskaloosa was distant two miles from a rail- 
road station, with no immediate prospect of a road 
being built through the city, and the idea of whole- 
saling under such circumstances was looked upon 
as a business venture of doubtful promise of suc- 
cess. In addition to this the capital of the original 
firm was of modest proportions and a suitable build- 
ing for such a business was not to be had. Keokuk, 
Burlington and Ottumwa, in additicm to Chicago 
and St. Louis, were drumming the territorj' tribu- 
tary to this firm continuall3\ and competition in 
trade was lively. All these apparent discouraging 
features did not serve to daunt the courage of the 
youthful firm. They l)egan business, followed it 
persistently early and late, were cautious in their 
line of credit, established themselves fully in the 
confidence of their customers, .and as j-e.ar succeeded 
•year, their business has grown from comparatively 
insignificant proportions to the now handsome sum 
of |;500,000 ye.arly. The building of their early 
business experience has given way to a more impos- 
ing brick and stone successor, while on the corner 



fr-nTi 



Tn 1 n 1 r ir« 




ti-rv?.. 



FVif Vr^ ri T JfiJS^SK^ I** 



-Kjjaj.-^ 



- iL^^ai - 



I »t<«iix3IHlJtl. 



untiTunx* E 



mitxiiniixinxxurxjn - 



312 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



:ii 



of Main and Washington streets stands an imposing 
structure. (iOx 1 1 2 feet tioorage, with three stories 
and a full basement, built for tliem and under their 
direction, by E. H. Oibbs. Esq., a capitalist of this 
oit\-. Capacious as is this niaguiflcent structure, it 
is hardly ample enough for their rapidly increasing 
trade. 

Sept. 1, 18«o, the H. L. Spencer Companj^ com- 
l)leted negotiations for participation in a well-es- 
tablished wholesale grocery business at Sioux City, 
Iowa, purchasing the stock of the well-known firm 
of E. C. Palmer & Co., of that city, the new fii-m 
being incorporated under the name and style of 
the Tolerton <fe Stetson Com[)any, with an author- 
ized capital of .«;200,0n0. .Tan. 1, 1886, the Spen- 
cer Company purchased an interest in the business 
of Letts, Fletcher & Co., at Marshalltown, Iowa, 
and inc(jrporated the business under the name of 
the Letts Fletcher Comi)any, with an authorized 
capital of *20n,000. 

The .subject of our sketch, Harry L. Spencer, at 
present occupies the following responsible positions : 
President of the H. L. Spencer Company, whole- 
sale grocers, of Oskaloosa; President of the Oska- 
loosa National Bank ; President of the Tolerton & 
Stetson Company, wholesale grocers, of Sioux City, 
Iowa: Vice President of the Letts Fletcher Com- 
pany, wholesale gi'ocers, of Marshalltown, Iowa; 
Treasurer, and member of the Board of Directors 
of the Oskaloosa Water Company; Director of the 
Oskaloosa (jas Light Company; Director of the 
Oskaloosa Power and Land Company. 

The subject of this sketch, Harrj'^ L. Spencer, is 
unquestionahl}- a self-made man, and the architect 
and liuilder of his fortune. The elements which 
have conduced to his splendid success in life have 
always existed within himself, being modified or 
added to as 3'ears of experience in business have 
succeeded the initial venture. In the management 
of all hi.s business there is Lhe most perfect sj'stem 
and order, simple in all details and working as 
smoothlj- and quietly as a well regulated piece of 
machinery. In personal character he is above and 
beyond reproach, and in whatever relation of life 
he maj' he viewed, whether as husband, father, 
business man or citizen, there will be found no tiaw 
in his admirable manhood. 



Mr. Spencer was married in Oskaloosa, Oct. 20. _ 
ls(;ii, to Miss Mary E. Paine, a resident of Paw- ; n; 
tucket, R. I., but a native of ^Massachusetts. By ; V 
this union there have been born three children:: i 
Anna E., Nov. .), 1872; Ida Gertrude, .Tan. 2.').: 
1874, and Willi:im AVindom, F^eb. 26, 1881. Sj ;i 

a! " 
h 



^^^ 



OHN U. PILGRIM, of (iarfleld Township, 
was born in Indiana, in 1843, and is a son 
of Michael and Sarah p]leanor Pilgrim, na- 
tives of South Carolina. The father re- 
moved to Indiana at an early day, and there re- 
mained until 1848, when he came to Mahask;( 
Countj', and settled two miles southeast of Osk.i- 
loosa, where he lived five j'ears, thence went tu 
Missouri near St. Joseph, where he lived one year, 
thence to Hardin County, this State, remaining 
there three years, and thence to Mahaska County, 
where he resided until his death, which took place 
in 18.t7, when he was forty-five years of age. The 
mother died wlien our subject was nine days old. 

The subject of this sketch enlisted in the 33d 
Iowa Infantry, in August, 1862, and served nearly 
three years. lie participated in the following bat- 
tles: Memphis, Tenn., Island No. 10, Ft. Pember- 
ton, Helena, Ark., Little Rock, Pine Bluff, Little 
Missouri, Prairie D'Anne, Hot Springs near Cam- 
den, Saline River and numerous skirmishes. At 
the battle of Helena he was wounded twice in the 
head, and once in the thigh, by musket shot; was 
taken prisoner and held in Little Rock for thirt^'- 
one days. He was one of a detail of twenty-five 
men engaged in scouting and foraging. Thej' were 
at one time surrounded by the enemy, but man- 
aged to give them the slip during the night and 
avoid capture. Mr. Pilgrim was detailed as a 
sharpshooter on the steamer Jenny Lind, which was 
fired into I)y guerrillas, when the boat landed, and 
the troops, after scouting the country for several 
miles, failed to find the enemy, who had escaped 
below Island No. 10 on the Missouri side. He was 
engaged on this service twent}'-six days. Maj' 15, 
1864, he was taken sick and sent to the hospital at 
Little Rock. Here he lay for nearly a year, and 
Maj- 17, 1865, was mustered out and came back to 



S 



i 



I 
k 

-.X 



'.-\ 



RcEHjea. 




^/'■c^. |-IH^'^ J 



r^ 



I 
1. 
I, ^ 



^fJPH'^p'i?' 



Vit^riKKl 



rs^^^^^ 



'•,i»* A*^ T I r.^xno.1 



Ui 






'i^£jsi 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



313 



14 
1 
i: 
lit 

036 

1 

\: 

\ 

1- 

1: 

1 






ISP 

t; 
1 
\ 
1 
\ 






Uskaldosa, and rented a farm, wliieli he worked for 
two years, and then bought his present farm on 
section 33 of (iarfield Township, where he has 
since resided. 

Mr. Pilgrim was married, April 12. I8GI!, to 
Mar3- .\. I'hini, a native of Ohio. They were the 
parents uf five children : Milton, born Jan. 8, 1867; 
(ieorge Washington, March 20, 1870; Nellie, 8ept. 
7, 1874; Sarah Ellen, June 7, 1878; Charles Will- 
iam, May 2, 1886. Our subject is a member of 
the Christian, and his wife of the Methodist Episco- 
pal Church. He has been Township Clerk one 
term and Siijiervisor two terms, and is the present 
incumbent of that office. 

Mr. Pilgrim's farm consists of 120 acres, eighty 
of which are improved and under a good state of 
cultivation. He is engaged in general farming, 
but devotes his pi'incipal attention to stock-raising, 
and is the owner of some excellent thoroughbred 
Sliort-horn cattle. Mr. Pilgrim has been the archi- 
tect of his own fortune, and has earned his present 
l^ossessions b}- the labor of his hands and by pru- 
dent and good m.anagement in the conduct of his 
business, and is certainly deserving of the esteem 
in which he is held among his neighbors and friends. 

DW.IN K. HIMES, of Oskaloosa, is the 

youngest son of Jacob and Marj' A. Himes, 

^ for biography of whom see elsewhere. He 



was born in Garfield Township, this count}', Jul}' 
16, 1860, and his childhood daj's were spent upon 
the farm. In 1870 the family removed to Oska- 
loosa, and here the subject of this sketch was edu- 
cated in the public schools and at Peun College. 
In 1875 he entered the employ of Naj'S & Briggs, 
druggists, until they were succeeded bj' the firm of 
Oreen & Bentle}', in the spring of 1881, when he 
entered the emploj' uf Frankel, Bach & Co., Bank- 
ers, as book-keeper. The following spring, 1882, 
he assumed charge of a branch drug-store at New 
Sharon, for Green & Bentley of this city. In April, 
1883, he entered the service of the Oskaloosa Na- 
tional Bank as book-keeper, and served in that 
capacity until 1886, when he was chosen Assistant 
Cashier of that institution. 



Mr. Himes is a member of the Masonic fraternitj' 
and a Royal Arch Mason. He is }et a young man, 
but has filled every position occupied b}' him with 
abilitj' and in a manner entirely satisfactorj' to his 
employers. His business qualifications are first 
class; he is accurate and ready, his integrity is be- 
yond question, and he enjoj'S the esteem and con- 
fidence of the public generally. 

JOHN C. FALLIS is a farmer and stock- 
raiser residing on sectifm 34, Spring Creek 
Township. He was born in Warren County, 
Ohio, March 25, 1H50, and is a son of John 
and Deborah (Cadwallader) Fallis. The former 
was a native of Warren County, Ohio, and a miller 
b}' trade, which business he followed until his 
death, which took place at the old home in 1850. 
His wife is a native of Virginia, born in L3'nch- 
burg. in the year 1815, and resides at the home of 
her son, the subject of this sketch. 

John C. Fallis is the younger of two children, 
and is the owner of eighty acres of land, all under 
cultivation and well improved. Himself and mother 
belong to the Society of Friends. Politically Mr. 
Fallis is a Republican. In his busine.ss he has 
achieved considerable success, is a prudent, careful 
manager, and most industrious man. Personally he 
is a man of excellent character, strictl}' honorable 
and upright in his transactions with men, and is 
much respected bj' all who know him. 



VILLIAM CHERRIN(;T0N, a native of 
England, and son of Joseph and Elizabeth 
(Davis) Cherrington, was born in 1834. 
His parents were also natives of the same countr}'. 
In 1858 he came to America, landing in New York 
City, from which place he went to Johnstown, Pa., 
where he lived one year, engaged in mining. He 
then moved to Mt. Savage, Md., where he remained 
a short time and then returned to Peunsj'lvania, 
remaining two years, when he went to Weathers- 
ville, Ohio, where he lived three years, moving 



'1 



tt^^ 



KUjt 



JUXl 



l.lIirXKllXXIE^IKXrKI.tXU 






D rxn :LCJ'UfA 







iiTTXxzxrm - 



rmrm mra n n *-trm 



.■U4 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



i 



iU 



f^ 





thence to Trumbull County, Ohio, which he made 
liis home four j'cars. His next move was to Clay 
County, Ind., where he staid a little over five years, 
engaged in mining. He then went to Churchill, 
Ohio, and lived tiiere eighteen months, going thence j 
to Coal Creek, hid., where he lived two and a half 
years, eng.aged in mining. He then came to Ma- 
haslca County, where he lias since resided. 

On the 2d day of May, 18o2, Mr. Cherrington 
was united in inarri.age with Sarah Sabin, also a 
native of England. By this union there was one 
son, James, born March 7, l«5o, died Oct. 19, 1876. 
His wife died Aug. 24, 18(J4. He was .again mar- 
ried, ill October, 1804, to Ruth Williams, and to 
this union nine children have been born: Mary, 
born Oct. 2, 18G.'), was married to William Ramsey, 
who was killed in the mines at Excelsior. Maj' 9, 
1886; Joseph, born May 8, 1867, is engaged In 
mining at Excelsior; Ruth, born Sept. 22, 1869; 
Thomas, May 25, 1871; Diana, Aug. 24, 1879; 
Edwaiil. liorii Aug. 11, 1875, died Sept. 21, 1876; 
Elizabeth, born Jan 3, 1878; William, Sept. 7 
l.S.SO; Edward, April 19, 1882. 

Mr. Ciicrrington is an intelligent man and a 
gre.it. re.ader. He is the owner of nine acres of 
Coal land, and has always been engaged in the busi- 
ness of mining. His wife is a member of the Pres- 
byterian Church. At the time of their marri.age 
she was tlie widow of John ^\'illiams, by wiiom she 
lia<l two ehihlreii: Catherine, born Dec. 8, 1860; 
and .bihii, Aug. :i, isi;;!, now engaged in mining at 
^Muchacliinoek. Mr. Cherrington was an Odd Fel- 
low ill the old country, but never united with the 
order since coming to America. 

_^Jv ■•o♦o.•(5^><^•.o♦o *,-- 

(OlIN SC(JTT, one of the reliable citizens and 
well-to-do farmers of Adams Township, was 
born in the Lowlands of Scotland, and came 
f^)j to America with his parents when quite 
young. They at once proceeded to Iowa and set- 
tled in this county, and both died soon after- 
ward. They were the parents of eleven children : 
John, the subject of this sketch; Adam, Catharine 
and Mary, deceased ; Agnes, the wife of David 
"Morgan, of Tipton. Lorain Co., Ohio; Elizabeth, 




^ ririBtHty riH ESg 



PPPF^-Py^y^ ^ 



m 



Mercy A. and Jane are deceased; Sarah J. is the 
wife of Charles Wells, of Knoxville, Iowa ; Jeanette 
is the wife of S. Reynolds, and lives in Adams 
T(jwnship. 

The subject of this sketch received an excellent 
common-school education, and followed the profes- 
sion of teaching until 1862, and has since that time 
lived a retired life. His farm consists of 107 acres 
of fine land in excellent cultivation and well-im- 
proved. Politically he is a Republican, and a 
strong man in the councils of that party. He 
comes of that sturdy Scotch stock who never waver 
in their devotion to principle, and, as a friend, 
sticks as close as a brother. He bears a most estim- 
able character and is highl}' regarded b}' his friends 
.and neighliors and an extended circle of acquaint- 
ances. 

ti^^HOMAS 11. WHITACRE, M. D., of Black Oak 
ffn^^ Township, is a n.ative of Ohio, born in Stark 
VV^^ County, July 15, 1822. His father, John 
Wliitacre, wfisa native of Loudoun County, Va., and 
was born Feb. 19, 1790, but when twelve j'ears of 
age removed with his parents to Columbiana 
County, Ohio, and Nov. 2, 1814, was united in 
marriage with Miss Lydia Bye, who was born in 
the State of Pennsylvania, July 23, 1795. To them 
were born four children: Rachel Ann is the wife of 
Dr. James J.ackson, of Hanover, Ohio; Thomas H., 
the subject of this sketch ; Daniel B. is a loan and 
real-estate .agent in Cliic.igo ; Sarah C. is the wife 
of Thomas J. Arter, who resides in Columbiana 
County, Ohio. Jt)hn Whitacre was educated in a 
district school, but afterward studied surveying in 
Wayne County, with Joseph Larwell, a Government 
surveyor, as preceptor. This was prior to 1814. 
After his marriage he kept the Hostetter House 
five years. It was in what is now known as the 
town of Gilford, in Columbiana County. Dispos- 
ing of that business he removed to Stark County, 
in December, 1819, and built a saw^mill, flouring- 
niill and distillery combined. In 1833 he laid out 
what is now the town of Minerva. During the fall 
of 1826 he was appointed County Surveyor, to fill 
a vacancy, and served in that official position forty 
consecutive years, with the exception of three years, 



3t:i 

m 

B:l 

3f I 
i I 
|ll 






B'T^'^'xirxnxrmxi: 






MlElcltpmrjn !■»■■'■■ !< Ill mill Uirirrmn lg 




MAHASKA COUNTY. 



315 



r- : 



u 

flra 

m 

1 = 



1^ 



ir.; 



1 



when hu ivhhivcmI fniiii the Cdiintv. I>iil, dm his re- 
turn w:is Mi^aiu t'lected to the [xisition. and hold it 
until hi> death, which uccuiTcd in 18(JG. His wife 
(iit'cl in the yeai- 1 S.")7. 

The subject of uur sketch at the early age of 
twelve years began to assist his father in siirvejing, 
au<l at the age of fifteen was made Deputy Sur- 
veyor of Stark County. He followed surveying 
and civil engineering until he reached the age of 
t'wenty-two years, when he decidccl to aiiply liini- 
self to the study of medicine, and began a c(jurse 
of reading with Dr. D. L. (rans, vf Magnoli;i. Ohio, 
with wlioni he studied and jiracticed until the 
spring of liStT, with the exception of the winters 
of ISlo-Ul, when he attended the medical college 
at Cincinnati, Ohio, and in 184G-17, when he at- 
tended the medical college at Willoughby, Ohio, 
from which he graduated in March, LSI 7. After 
graduation he was located for a short time at IS'ew 
llarrisljurg, but soon returned to Magnolia and 
continued his practice there for six years. 

In September, 1847, Dr. Whitacre was united 
in marriage with Catharine K. Ellson, a native of 
Stark County, Ohio, born Jan. 2'J, 1828. To them 
have been born seven children ; one died at the age 
of three and a half years, and one at the age of 
twenty-one. The live living children are as fol- 
lows: Sarah Ida, at home; John J., who has been 
attending the law^ department of the Michigan 
University, at Ann Arbor, will graduate in June, 
1887, and expects to locate in Detroit, Mich.; 
Richard E. has for the past five years successfully 
managed the home fai'm ; Clay Corwin is a tele- 
graph operator in the employ of the C, M. & St. 
r. R. R. Co. at Council Bluffs ; Katie is attending 
school and resides at home. 

In the year 1853 the Doctor went to California 
via the Nicaraugua route, leaving his wife and two 
children in Ohio, and there remained engaged in 
surveying and the practice of medicine until the 
fall of I85G, when he returned via Panama, and re- 
joined his family. In 1857 he removed to Burt 
County, Neb., residing there for six years, during 
four of which he was the only physician in the 
county. He surve^'ed and platted the town of De- 
cattir in that county. In the spring of 18(;;{ he re- 
moveil his lamily liaek to Magnolia. ( )hio. and nave 



his entire attention to the practice of medicine un- 
till the year 188(1, when he came to Iowa and set- 
tled where he now lives, ujion .(68 acres of land 
purchased by him in 187i). The Doctor gives his 
entire attention to farming, pr.acticing only occa- 
sionally, not desiring to do much in that way. In 
1882, on account of unsettled business in Ohio, the 
Doctoi- and his wife returned to that State and re- 
mained until 1885. 

Politically Dr. Whitacre is a stanch Republican, 
and is a member of the (i. A. R. Religiously he 
behjngs to the Christian Church. He was in serv- 
ice in the army for 120 days in 18t!4, and served 
as First Assistant Surgeon of the 162d Regiment, 
Ohio National Guard, having charge of the regi- 
ment for ninety days at that time. The Doctor's 
home farm is well improved, and he is the possessor 
of enough means to enable him to take life easy for 
the remainder of his days, surrounded by friends 
and neighbors whose confidence and esteem he en- 
joys in an unlimited degree. 



#^ 



-<v— 




ON. MICAJAH T. WILLIAMS was one of 
the best known and most revered of all 
M.ih.tska County pioneers. Coming to this 
county in the first j'ear of its settlement, 
appointed as one of the commissioners for its 
organization, in its growth and development, the 
impress of his mind and character are indelibly 
stamped. In almost every enterprise tending to 
the advancement of the town and county of his 
choice his was the master mind to counsel and 
direct. 

Micajah T. \\'illiams was Ixdu in Butler County, 
Ohio, May 2!), 1 820, and is the son of Caleb and 
.Sarah (Sunderland) Williams. While yet a small 
child his parents removed to Indiana, locating near 
Terre Haute. Here the subject of this sketch en- 
joyed the educational advantages of the common 
schools, supplemented by two years' attendance at 
Wabsish College, Crawfordsvillc, Ind. On leaving 
college he engaged in civil engineering for a few 
monliis. in the enn)loy of the State, antl then ucul 



II 



I 



rr=='^l 



U- 



i I 



sir 






' . ixxzxmnxxi 1 1 



W 
^^., 



rxzzxzu. 




t«TT TTn y n><iH«»iii I 




IOijUjluib 



r i nii i xi nrm m iiYT mrn iTi - 



316 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 







w 



r 






to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he entered the law 
office of Judge O. M. Spencer, afterward graduating 
from the Ohio law school, and Ijeing admitted to 
the bar in April, 1842. Believing the West to be 
a better field for an enterprising man, on the 2d 
daj- of Ma3' following he started for Iowa on 
horseback. Arriving at Mt. Pleasant he formed a 
jjartnership in the practice of law with Judge (i. 
W. Teas, a somewhat noted character in that day, 
which partnership lasted about one year. 

In December, 1843, Mr. Williams came to Ma- 
liaslia County, but soon after went to Iowa City, 
where he spent the winter in attendance upon the 
Territorial Legislature. B3' that body he was 
appointed as already stated, one of the Commis- 
sioners for the organization of Mahaska Count}'. 
Returning here he made this his home until his 
death. At the first term of the District Court he 
was appt)inted its Clerk, and was subsequently 
elected to fill the position, serving until 1854, when 
he positively declined a re-election. But his 
official life was not to end here. At the annual 
election in August of that year he was elected a 
member of the State Legislature, and served one 
term. AVhile Clerk of the Courts it became a part 
of his dut}' in the absence of the County Judge to 
l)erform the duties of that officer. In this way the 
title of Judge came to be bestowed upon him. 

At the close of his term of office as Clerk of the 
Court, Judge Williams formed a partnership with 
Hon. William T. Smith, in the practice of law. 
March 1, 1855, these gentlemen opened the first 
banking-house in Mahaska County, and continued 
to do a general banking and land business for two 
and a half j'ears, when Mr. Williams retired from 
the firm. In 1858 he formed a partnership with 
Hon. William II. Seevers, which association con- 
tinued ten years. During five of these j'ears, from 
1863 to 1868, he was associated with Henry P. 
•k Ninde, in the real-estate business, giving to its de- 
1). tails much of his personal attention. Later on he 
was associated with Liston McMillan in the practice 
of law. 

Judge AVilliams was elected to a second term in 
the Legislature in 18U1, and served the State and 
his constituents with distinguished abilitj'. For 
many 3'ears he was United States Commissioner, 



t„ 



1 
I 

m 



^1 





and for six 3'ears was a Trustee of the Iowa IIos- '^.\ 
pital for the Insane, at :Mt. Pleasant. In 184G he ^^ 
was appointed one of the Commissioners to locate 
the count}- seat of Polk Count}', and as one of the |e} 
number failed to appear, and the other, a Mr. 
Pinneo, was talien sick while engaged in viewing 
the several locations, t" Mr. Williams alone is the 
credit due for the selection of the site which is now 
the capital of Iowa, as well as the county seat of glj 
Polk County. After the stake had been driven, 
permanently fixing the site, Mr. Williams was 
called upon for a speech, and in response, he said: 
"Gentlemen, 1 have not only located the county 
seat of Polk County, but I have fixed upon the 
site of the future capital of the State." On hear- 
ing this remark the crowd in attendance fairly 
grew wild, and catching up the speaker, carried him 
upon their shoulders around the little town, yelling 
until they were hoarse. His pi'ophocy was soon 
fulfilled, and Des Moines is not only the county 
seat of Polk County and the capital of the State, 
but is as well the leading city of Iowa. 

In 1850 Mr. Williams was initiated a member of 
Triluminar Lodge No. 18, A. F. it A. M., and sub- 
sequently became a member of Hiram Chapter No. 
6, R. A. M., and also of Commandery No. 
(i. Knights Templar. In the welfare of this order 
he took great interest and aided greatly in placing 
it upon the firm footing it now has in this county. 
He was for many years a vestryman in St. James 
Episcopal Church. 

During the summer of 1845, with his own hand, 
JNIr. Williams erected a new cottage just north of 
the Public Square. "To that little house," says 
the Oskaloosa Herald., "which we remember as a 
perfect bower of beauty, in 1845, he took his bride, 
formerly known as Miss N'irginia Rebecca Seevers, 
a sister of Judge William H. Seevers." Miss 
Seevers was born near Winchester, Va., and is the 
daughter of James and Rebecca Seevers. The 
marriage ceremony was performed on the lltth of 
September, 1845, by Rev. Mr. Johnson, of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church. Two chiklren are the 
issue of this marriage — Alice Eugenia, and Beulah 
Joezelle ; the latter is now the wife of Judge L. C. 
Blanchard of this city. 

In the organization of the (Jslialoosa National 




OirrrTrj 



tjTririn'iJrl 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



317 



I -a 



Bnuk, our subject took :m iictive interest, and at 
liis death was a Director and its A'ice President. 
Mr. Williams died at liis residence in Oskaloosa, 
Sunday, Jan. 1.3, 1.SH4, and was laid to rest beneath 
llic spreading branches of a forest oak, in the 
family l)urying-place at Forest Cemetery. The 
funeral sermon was preached by Kev. W . II. II. 
I'iUsbur^', of Ottnmwa. The various Masonic 
bodies of Oskaloosa, assisted by visiting members 
fn>m many of the surrounding towns, took charge 
of the interment, and his mortal remains were laid 
away in accordance with their beautiful rites and 
ceremonies. 

No citizen of Mahaska County was more greatly 
};t mourned than Micajah T. Williams. Always of a 
kindly and charitable disposition, he was never ap- 
; pealed to in vain by those who needed a friend or 
u^ : substantial aid. He was a great frieml to the 
; young, and many young men have received from 
: him wise counsel and such hopeful words as will 
: nut soon be forgotten by lliem. In all public 
: matters he took an active interest, and it is said 
: tluit subscription pajjers were few that were not 
S graced with his name, .and a liberal donation. He 
: Wivs a strong, stanch friend of the common school, 
i and with him the education of the ^'outh of the 
; land was considered akin to religious duty. 
; One of the l<>cal papers of Oskaloosa, in its 
: notice of Mr. Williams" death, said: "He was a 
: careful .-ittorney, a splendid man in everj^ way. 
; .lust in all his dealings, of tne noblest instincts, kind 
: and gentle :is a woman, no one had ever an unkind 
t feeling toward this knightly, courteous gentleman." 
The M<jntezuma Republican said : "He was a man 
honored and honorable, big-hearted and liberal- 
handed. His death makes a big gap in the line of 
(lioueers of Mahaska County." Of him the Ot- 
tnmwa ('i)urier said: "He has left a record as a 
law3-er, business man and public servant, second to 

He 



nj 

I: 

1 

1 

I 

i: 

I 
I 
I 
1 
I 
I 
I 
\ 
\ 

1 
I 
1. 
I 

I: 
1 

I : 
I : 

ij : 

u 

■\ - 

b. 

\% that of no other citizen of Mahiiska County 
i-ij wa,s a ver}- genial com|)anion, and nniversally 
lifi honored and respected by all who knew liim." 
lijj The bar of Mahaska County, in its resolutions of 
respect, declared him to l)e a pioneer and patriarch 
of its body. "A genial gentleman, lio.~|)itable 
friend, kind and indulgent hu.sband and father, rich 
in the love of friends, ripe in theyc:irs of honors." 



if 

UK 

I re 



It resolved to "hold in memory his many kindly 

wiirds and acts, his genial welcome, his wit thai 

pleased but wounded not, his professional integrit}-. 

his sterling manhood, and all the many qu:ditios 

that endeared him to his host of friends." The 

Oskaloosa Herald, in its tribute, closed with the 

following beautiful and ai)i)ropriate lines: 

"As Hiram <1im'|)s. the \\ iikiw's son. 
Sii ]i()w (lur iMOtlicr takes his icsl : 
His work cDinplete, his labor done. 
His name by every one is blest. 

So let liini sici'i) his last long sleeji. 

Fond nionioiios cUistciiiig 'round bis bead — 
Be coiiit'ortfd. ye loved, who wee]) 

Tbc true. Ibi' trunk. Ibc t'enrlcss i|e;ul." 



#>^ 



eHIiISTI.\N HOI TZ, of Oskaloosa, is of 
French descent and of the old Huguenot 
stock of France. His grandfather was Phili|) 
.Alfonso Lorenzo DeHautze, who came to Amer- 
ica in 1726, when eleven years of age, with his par- 
ents, and settled at Bethlehem, Pa. Afterward they 
removed to Berks Countj-, Pa., where Christian 
was born Dec. 27, 1 8011. Christian Houtz is the 
son of John Houtz, who was born in 17(52. He 
married Elizabeth Winter, a lady of English de- 
scent, born in America, and who died while Chris- 
tian was a child of eighteen months. Thej' wei-e 
the parents of four sons and three daughters. Chris- 
tian being the only surviving one. Mr. John 
Houtz was again married to a Mrs. .Snevly. Po- 
litically John Houtz was a strong Federalist, a man 
well posted in political affairs, and held the oHice 
of Justice of the Peace for twent3--four years. 
Occupying a prominent position in the community 
where he lived, he was the arbiter of aU difficulties 
among his neighbors. He was an influential mem- 
ber of the (ierman Reform Church, in which he 
held the position of Ekler for uian^' years. He 
died at Fredericksburg, Pa., in the j'ear 1H28. 

The subject of this sketch. Christian Houtz. re- 
ceived his education in the common schools. When 
sixteen j'ears of age he was apprenticed to the 
trade of carpenter .and joiner, serving an appren- 
ticeship of two and one-half years, receiving no 
compensation for his l;dior. and furnishing his own 
board and mending. After linishing hi.s ai)|iri'ii- 




H.^^ 




?J^^ 




::. ::,..:::::::::::.:::.:,..:::::: ia° 




rxxHxrx cxxmnm tjixxi rm r 



rxnmx r^Txm iiimji n it-tt ' ■ 



318 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



mm 



ticeship he went to Buffalo, N. Y., then a small 
town, where he followed his trade. In the spring 
of 1834 he went to Perrysburg, where he spent 
thirteen years. lie was at Toledo, Ohio, when it 
was a hamlet of three liouses. In the spring of 
1847 he came to Burlington, Iowa, by water, his 
intention being to locate at the capital of the State, 
and he remained in Burlington four or live weeks 
awaiting the action of the commissioners of loca- 
tion. After being informed by Gen. Dodge that 
Des Moiues would be the place, he started with a 
team for tliat |)oint. An unusual anujunt of rain 
washed out all the bridges along the route. Ar- 
riving at Oskaldosa he discharged his teamster and 
settled here. He purchased twenty acres of land 
adjoining the city limits of Oskaloosa, and three 
years later forty more, which is now a portion of 
the cit3' proper. In 1854 he laid off Iloutz's first 
addition to Oskaloosa, and in 1875, at the time the 
Rock Island branch was built into the city, he 
|ij {IL donated four and a half acres to the corporation 
W^ for a depot ground, and laid out the remainder as 
l! :[]] his second addition to the city. 

Mr. Houtz has alwaj's taken a lively interest in 
the prosperity ot the city, and there is probably 
no man who has done more for its upbuilding than 
he. In all laudable enterprises he has been a gen- 
erous giver. 

Politically he has always been an unswerving 

Democrat of the Jacksonian school, and has been a 

regular subscriber to the Chicago Daily Times for 

I the past twenty-six years. He was twice the can- 

H didate of his party for County Judge and once for 

! Representative in the (General Assembl}' of Iowa, 

but his party being in the minority he was defeated. 

However, he received the flattering compliment of 

having run ahead of his ticket 200 votes. Four 

times he was elected to the City Council. During 

the war he was an ardent supporter of the Union 

11 cause. 

ij In 1873 Mr. Houtz visited the continent of £u- 



aiiii 





iJIHH! rope, traveling over seventeen different countries, 

iJtHH: and visiting all the different cities and points of 

3 interest iu them, attending also the great World's 

' Fair at Vienna, Austria. While homeward bound 

} on the steamer Australia he encountered the most 

severe storm ever known upon the Atlantic Ocean, 




during the continuanceof which over 1,000 vessels 
were wrecked,, and more than UOO lives lost. Mr. 
Houtz has, in addition to his European travels, vis- 
ited nearly ever}' State in the Union, and is a man 
well versed in the public affairs of his State and 
county. He was made a Mason in the year 1854, 
and ranks as a Knight Templar. In 1 SKO he at- 
tended the Triennial conclave at Chicagcj, where, 
notwithstanding his age, he being seventy-four 
years old at that time, he was in the i)rocession 
and made a march of seven miles. In 18.S3 he at- 
tended the Triennial Conclave at San Franciscc>, 
Cal., and again at St. Louis in 18.S(i. 

He was married at Fredericksl)urg, Pa., Feb. "22, 
1830, to Miss Priscilla Cloyer. She was born in 
Pennsylvania in 1812. The issue of this marriage 
was one child, Eva H., afterward the wife of ex- 
Lieut. Gov. .lohn K. Needham, wiio died in Oska- 
loosa in the year 1808. Mis widow still survives, 
and resides in this city. Priscilla Houtz died Feb. 
2, 1872. She was a sincere Christian, and an ac- 
ceptable member of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. Mr. Houtz was again married, Oct. 1, 
1873, to Josephine M. Jenkins, who is a native of 
Oliio, born in Carroll County. 

Mr. IL)utz is a member of the Methodist Episco- 
()al Church, a liberal supporter of its benevolences, 
and a firm believer in its faith. A public-spirited 
citizen, he is a generous supporter of all enterprises 
of merit that tend to the upbuilding of the com- 
munity in which he has lived so long, and enjoys 
the confidence and respect of his fellow-citizens in 
a large degi'ee. 



I 



SHFORD ROGERS, of Jefferson Town- 
Si'O! ship, was born in Hampshire County, now 
West Virginia, Dec. 12, 1810, and is a son 
(gw of Hiram and Rebecca (Poulston) Rogers, 

natives of Mrginia. The first named died iu 1804, 
and the latter in 1854. The subject of this sketch 
came to Iowa in 1850, settled in Marion County, 
and purchased eighty acres of land, which he af- 
terward sold, and then came to this county with 
the proceeds of that sale, about *S(i(l, and pur- 
chased lOO acres of unimprtived land. He went 












WSfiS*, 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



319 



to work diligently, and at the end of five j'ears 
had his land paid for, finely improved, and a bal- 
ance of ^7,000 in cash in the bank. Aug. 20, IHlo, 
he was united in marriage with Miss Loretta 
iShaw, a daughter of David and Margaret (Buch- 
anan) Shaw, natives of Mrginia. Loretta's father 
died in Illinois in 1855, and her mother in Iowa in 
ls7!t. Mr. and Mrs. Rogers arc the parents of 
eight children: John is deceased; David lives in 
Adair County, Iowa; Daniel resides in the same 
county; Margaret is the wife of H. Saunders, of 
this county; Sarah is the wife of J. Swecm, of 
Basse}', Marion County; George lives in Marion 
County ; Rebecca is the wife of J. Hughes, and 
lives in Nebraska; Lutie is the wife of F. Yater. 
They reside on the homestead. Mr. and Mrs. 
Rogers are members of the Methodist Episc»ii)al 
Church. Politically he acts with the Republican 
party. The home farm consists of 155 acres of 
excellent land, brought to a high state of cultiva- 
tion, and with first-class improvements. Mr. Rog- 
ers is a man of good ability, and is a systematic 
farmer in ever}' respect. His excellent manage- 
ment of his business finds him now in very com- 
fortable circumstances in life. He possesses a very 
high sense of honitt'; his homo is a genial one, and 
he enjoys the full confidence and esteem of a large 
circle of acquaintances. 



-€^B- — « 



JOHN LOUGHREY, of Adams Township, 
owns and occupies a fine homestead, and has 
been successful in his business and agricult- 
ural pursuits. He was born in Knox County, 
Ohio, Sept. ID, 1818. He came to Iowa in 1865 
with his family, and settled upon his present farm. 
Feb. It), 18-16, he was united in marriage with 
Miss Harriet Nash, a native of England, born in 
1824. They are the parents of nine children, as 
follows: Sarah M. is the wife of W. .S. Reed, of 
Monroe Township; Henry M. is deceased; John 
N. lives in Adams Township; JIary M. is the wife 
of J. R. Roberts, of Rose Hill; Frances married 
Henry Ellis, of Monroe Township; Caroline A. is 
now .Mrs. .I:imes Tailon, of Adams Township; Ross 



lives in this township; Eniil}', the wife of I. Sum- 
mers, resides in Monroe Township; William is at 
home. 

Mr. and Mrs. Loughrey are proniiuent members 
of the Baptist Churcli. Politically Mr. Loughrey 
is an ardent Republican, and for years has been a 
prominent man in the councils of his party. Their 
home farm coini)rises some of the finest land to be 
found in Adams Township. It is all under culti- 
vation, and the improvements arc first-class. Mr. 
Loughre}' is esteemed one of the leading and well- 
to-do farmers of the county. He is a most estima- 
ble citizen in all respects, and enjoys the fullest 
confidence and esteem of a large circle of friends 
and acquaintances. 



<^-3»^ ■ 



=4^^- 



"tf*c-* 





ni': 'fill 



AATD L. BOWMAN, of Ecighton, is a 
blacksmith and dealer in agricultural im- 
plements. He was born in Franklin 
County, Va., April o, 1845. His father, 
Joel I. Bowman, was a native of Virginia, and a 
miller and farmer by occupaticm, and spent his life 
in his native State, his death occurring :it the age 
of fifty years. His mother, Irene (Layman) Bow- 
man, is a native of Virginia, and still lives in Frank- 
lin County, at the age of seventy-four years. 

The subject of this sketch passed his early life 
on the fann. In 18G2 he entered a blacksmith-shop 
where contract work was lieing done for the Con- 
federate army. He did this, not to learn the trade, 
but that he might keep out of the service, and as he 
remained at that business until the fall of 1864, be- 
came quite an expert. He then ran the Confederate 
blockade and went to Gallipolis, Ohio. In 1865 he 
came to Iowa, and in the spring of 1866 resumed 
blacksmithing, establishing a shop with S. P, Beers 
as partner. This association continued for three 
years, wlien Jlr. Bowman became sole proprietor, 
and since 1881 he has added a stock of agi'icultural 
implements, of which he carries a full line in con- 
nection with his other business. 

Mr. Bowman has been twice married. His first 
wife was Mrs. Eliza Fleck, nee Hoover. Tiiey were 
miuried Aug. ;!, I.s7;5, and she diccl Del. 26, ls7C>. 



ksstiiJ^^-^: 



Wm 

m 




^imirrrir 



»»XmXTy»**t-rT»-r»f rTTTi , 






m:^ 



1 



320 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



I leaving one son, William A. Sept. 26, 1878, he es- 
poused as his second wife, Sarah .1. Price, a daughter 
J. -J of Ij. I). Price (see biography in this volume), and 
WiL; liy tliis union there liave been four children, three 

^ <if wht)m are livint;, namely, Charley, Marv and 

r 1 . 

Anna. 

St- it 

*i) - Politically Mr. Bowman is a Republican, and his 

HIM father, though a resident of a slave State and born 
^^ where the institution flourished, was an uneompro- 
Ijjl raising Abolitionist. Mr. Bowman has been one of 
the Trustees of Black Oak Township for seven j'ears. 
Religiousl3' he is connected with the (Jerman Bap- 
tist Church. He began his career in life without 
money, but by industry and economy li.as made life 
a success, and with it all is enjoying the high regard 
of his friends and acquaintances, because of his 
strict integrity and his constant practice of the 
principles of the Ciolden Rule. 



i 




li 



mm 

m 
m 

mm 





Vi=^RKDERlCK OSWANDJ.K, of Scott Town- 
i' ship, w.as Ijorn in Germany, Maj' -22, 182G. 
His father was (^en. John Oswandle, and his 
fi][ mother Catherine (Seaffle) Oswandle, natives of 
that empire. Gen. Oswandle was a soldier in the 
old countr3% serving under the celebrated (ien. 
Nai)oleon iJonaparte for three 3'ears, and oljtained 
his distinguished title from the hands of his com- 
mander for gallant and meritorious services on the 
field of battle. Both he and his wife were mem- 
bers of the Lutheran Church. To them was born 
a family of ten children, two girls and eight boys, 
of whom Frederick was the second son. They 
came to America in 1827, settling in Lancaster 
County, Pa., where they resided u|) to the time 
of thei;- decease, his death occuri'ing Nov. 22, 1882, 

:J and his wife having died in September of the same 

g year. 

The subject of this sketch was married iu Lan- 
caster County, Pa., Nov. 27, 1850, to Louisa Ream, 
a native of that State. By this marriage there 
were two children, .lohn and Catherine, both of 
whom, with their mother, dii'd in 18.').t, of Asiatic 
cholera. During that year Mr. Oswandle came to 



I 



Mahaska Count}' and located on section 21. Scott Ji; 

Townshij), where he still lives. He was again mar- jpi 

ried, April la, 1860, to Catherine Butler, a native 3|1 

of Germany, born near Hamburg, Oct. oO, 18;)6, 

and daughter of Hon. Petei- T. Butler, of this 

county. Mr. Butler died in July, 188.5; Mrs. But- f^ 

ler is still living with her children. Bv this mar- 3>-i 

riiige there are eight children, all living: William gfi 

H., born JLarch 1, 1861, now a farmer in Nebraska; 3!;i 

Fannie II., born Oct. 23, 1862, wife of W. H. |i 

3^ f 

Barnes, of Sherman County, Neb.; Elizabeth, born 3 fi 

Oct. 10, 186.5; George P., Feb. 19, 1868; Frank :a 

J., July 24, 1870; Mary C, Dec. 1.5, 1872: Charles 3 il 

T., Dec. 18, 1874; John Harry, April 15, 1877, a" 



: ii 



at home. 

On the lllth of .Inly, 1875, while Mr. (Jswandlc 
was engaged in the harvesting of grain with a Jiij 
rea|)er, by a sudden movement of the team, he was i'k 
thrown in front of the sickle-bar, and before he ^ :i 
could be extricated from this perilous position, the " ', 
right arm was cut off above the elljow, .also the -[''■ 
thumb of his left hand, ^-et notwithstanding the i;^ 
loss of his good right arm, lie alw.ays has and yet 
manages to do a considerable portion of the work 
on the farm. In 1876 he visited the Centennial 
Exposition at Philadelphia, and his f;ither and 
mother, who though quite aged, were still living at 
the old home in Penns3'lvania. His daughter 
Elizabeth is a graduate of Penn College, and has 
followed the profession of teaching since the win- 
ter of 1883, and is a young lady of line abilit}' in : -[J 
this direction. Mr. Oswandle started in life a poor 



- 1 
Si; I 

1^ 



boy, having no means whatever when he came to j^ 
this countj', and took up his first claim of forty 3|;} 
acres, and was onl}' enabled to paj- f<jr that by ;';] 
working for four or five 3'ears as carpenter and : t} 
joiner. He now owns an elegantly improved farm :-J 
of 148 acres, which he has made by the labor of :;} 
his hands, together with all the valuable improve- 5,; J 
ments upon the place. ::;[ 



Mr. Oswandle is 
member of the ^lethodist Episcopal Church, 
the local affairs of his township he evinces a deep |=J 



prominent and accejjtable 3^} 

In 3^1 



fourth terra as Township Trustee. As a farmer he Sij 
is systematic, thorough and rigidl3' economical, 
3'et not sparing his means where the investment of p} 



:\ 



■ uni »'r xtT^ i'nxi l j TTiiL3jnnTYTlUrrT:, ._ _ 






1 mi'llllXllfllllUI); 







MAHASKA COUNTY. 



321 



tlicni will produce desirable results, and is one of 
1e the most estimable citizens of that section of the 
county. 



i:,: 



'■- 



^^^KDKGE .STEWARD, a retired niercliaul of 
III g^ Oskaloosa, was born in York Count}', Pa., 
^^^ Feb. 23, 1828, and is a son of Charles and 
Catherine (Hj'er) Steward. Charles Steward was 
born in Pennsylvania, and was a plasterer and brick- 
mason by trade. Ills father emigrated from Ire- 
land, and nas of a wealth}' famil}-, bringing with 
him to this country considerable capital, and en- 
gaged very largely in the construction of public 
works and buildings. He built the bridge across 
the Susquehanna River at Ilarrisburg, and fre- 
quently emplo^-ed in his various enterprises as 
many as 200 mechanics at a time. Financial re- 
verses came, and his family was left in ver}' limited 
circumstances, so much so that Charles was bound 
out to learn the carpenter's trade, but, instead, was 
put to work on a farm. He ran away from his em- 
ployer because he did not teach liira the trade, and 
afterward learned the business of plastering and 
brick-laying, and followed it for a number of years. 
Later t)n in life he settled in Wisconsin on a farm, 
and afterward in Minnesota, where he located a 
claim on (Government land, and while at work har- 
rowing one day with a yoke of young steers, thej- 
ran away. He ran ahead of them to check their 
flight, when they drew the harrow over him, and 
Jie died from the effects of the wounds received, 
about the j-ear 1856. His wife died when the sub- 
ject of this sketch was quite small. Of the three 
children born to them, our subject is the onlj' one 
living. 

George Stewai'd's education was received in the 
common schools, and he paid his own tuition by 
doing chores for his teacher. In early life he 
worked in factories for several years, followed the 
business of boating twelve years, and operated a 
ferry at Marietta, Ohio, across the Muskingum 
River. He came west in the spring of 187.3, lo- 
cated at Oskaloosa, and served as clerk for seven 
years for his brother-in-law. S. J. Dutton. He then 
oi>ened a grocery store in partnership with William 
M. Dutton, under the firm name and style of 



Steward & Co. This association continued about 
three year.*, when Mr. Dutton disposed of his 
interest to Hem-y 1. Little, and shortly' after the 
entire business was purchased by his two sons. 
The business is now conducted by one of the son? 
and Robert L. Turner, under the firm name of 
Steward <fe Turner. 

Mr. Steward was mairied in Marietta, Ohio, July 
23, 18.52, to Talitha M. Dutton, a native of Ohio, 
and a daughter of .Tames Dutton. By this mar- 
riage there have been six children, four now living, 
as follows: Harley J., a minister in Newport, 
Ky.; Charles E., of the firm of Weeks & Steward, 
dealers in dry-goods at Oskaloosa; William W., a 
grocer at Oskaloosa, and present Cit}' Treasurer; 
he is also a member and general manager of the 
clothing-house of W. W. Steward & Co; Carrie J., 
at Newport, Ky. The deceased children were 
Cieorge W. and George E. The mother of these 
children died in Oskaloosa. Mr. Steward was again 
married, in Oskaloosa, .July 23, 1885, to Mrs. Anna 
Craft. Mr. and Mrs. Steward are members of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church. A man may possess 
many excellent traits of character, but the crown- 
ing glorj' of his life is a consistent Christian pro- 
fession, and a daily walk and conversation tli.it 
gives evidence of this to the world, and this can be 
trulj' said of the subject of this sketch. 




11^ 




RS. CATHERINE lUlOOKS, „ee Mass. a 
resident of Union Township, was born in 
Baltimore, Md., in December, 1827. She 
was left an orphan at a very early age and 
was adopted and raised by Mr. George Ensor until 
she reached the age of eighteen years, when slie left 
his home and went io work for herself, receiving 
^2.50 per month. Aug. 20, 184!), she was married 
to Thomas L. Brooks, a native of Baltimore, who 
was born April 25, 1827. They remained in that 
city until the year 1H51, then removed to Iowa and 
settled in Inion Township, where he entered 30ii 
acres of land and began its improvement, breaking 
the sod with o.\-teanis and submitting to all the 
privations and inconveniences of that early day. 
Here they continued to reside until 1850, when they 



Ml 



Wl 



m 



p"^ 



I II Ti >ia 



liitru: 




^^ 



xxzxxxTi: 



tmrrrrrxtr-wir^m w -rrt-t-tT-m , 



i 322 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



sold out and removed to Kansas, but not liking 
that country, soon returned to Iowa, purchasing 
another farm, and subsequently repurchased a small 
l)ortion of the land they had previously sold. 

Seven chihlren were born to them: William K., 
horn April 18, 1851, married Miss Anna ^Vheeler, 
and lives in this township; Charles T., born Dec. 
2!), 1852, married Miss Iowa Biggs, March 20, 1876, 
her death taking place July 2-2 of the same year; 
|i;;;llj Sarah D., born Jan. 2, 1855, is the wife of James 
W-'^'Vl j.\ Sheeley, of Sherman, Poweshiek County, this 
State; Matilda A., born Dec. 10, 185G, is the wife 
of Homer N. Kirk, residing in Norton County, 
i| PJ Kan.; Frances P., born July II, 1859, is the wife of 
ip^jl J. L. Foster, of this township; Mary A., born Dec. 
jpE I 31, 18G1, is the wife of Greeley Caster, of Union 
Township; Clara W., born Sept. 3, 1865, is at home. 
Mr. and Mrs. Brooks, accompanied by their 
daughter Clara, attended the Centennial Exposition 
at Philadelphia in 1876. Mr. Brooks was a Demo- 
crat of the J.acksonian school, unwavering in his 
support of that party and its principles, and one of 
the leading spirits of that i)olitical organization in 
this county. He departed this life Nov. 4, 1884, at 
the age of fifty-seven years. The home farm now 
consists of 342 acres of as fertile land as can be 
found in the county. It has been brought to a 
high state of cultivation, and the buildings and 
other improvements are not excelled in that part of 
the countv. 



-iTiJ^^ 






»rt.fi- 




iiHOMAS MOORE, of Jefferson Township, 
was born in Count}' T^'rone, Ireland. He 
came to America with his parents in the year 
1857. His father, Samson Moore, came to Iowa 
forty years ago, settled in Mahaska County, pnr- 
^§51 chased land and farmed it until liis decease. Ana'. 
} 2, 1886. His widow survives him and is living- 
3 with her daugiiter, Mrs. J. A. Sprague. The sub- 
ject of this sketch, Thomas Moore, was married 
Jan. 9, 1884, to Miss Catharine Cummings, a native 
of Iowa. 

Politically Mr. Moore is a Ivei)ubliean. His 
homestead consists of 162 acres of tine fertile land, 
in an excellent state of cultivation and finely im- 





EsS£SS^£i 







Sg2ri2a 



proved. Mr. Moore is a man of more than ordi- 
nary intelligence, an excellent manager of his bus- 
iness, and has attained considerable success in farm- 
ing. He is an excellent neighbor, citizen and 
friend, and possesses all the qualities lliat commend 
him to the confidence and esteem of his friends and 
acquaintances. 



-P- 



^ 



-H>- 



<jf/AMES L. ROBERTS, of Oskaloosa. is one | 
of the [jioneers of Adams Township. He ; 
was born in Surry County, N. C, Dec. 7, i 
1815, and is ason of John and Nancy (Lj'on) ! 
Roberts, natives of that county and State. In the | 
fall of 1833 they left North Carolina with the in- | 
tention of locating in Missouri, but winter over- | 
taking them on the journey, the}' stopped in Ripley \ 
County, Ind., purchased land, and opened up a | 
farm in the heav}' timbered lands of that State, re- 
siding there until the deatli of Mr. Roberts. They \ 
were the parents of seven children, three of whom 
are living: James L., the subject of this sketch; 
Susan, wife of John Mateer, of Oskaloosa, and 
John, now a resident of Cowley County, Kan. Mr. 
Roberts died aliout 1844, and his wife about 1842. 

Politically Mr. Roberts was an old-f.ashioned j 
Jaclison Democrat, and held the olHce of Justice of 
the Peace in Indiana for a number (jf jears. His ; 
wife was an ardent member of the Baptist Church. ; 
He was not connected by membership with any j 
church, though a believer in the doctrines taught* i 
by the Methodist society. ; 

The subject of this sketch removed with his par- 
ents in 1833, to Indiana, where he worked upon 
the farm, cutting and clearing the heavy timber, 
and preparing the soil for the growing of crops 
until he was twenty-three years of age. Ma}' 1 4, 
1838, he was married to Miss Rebecca Colson, born 
Aug. 3, 1818, and a daughter of John Colson, a 
native of Kentucky, who moved to Indiana about 
the year 1822. In the fall of 1847 he left Indiana, 
moving his worldly possessions by teams, and lo- 
cated in Adams Township, this county. He pur- 
chased a squatter's claim on section 22 in that town- 
ship, of 320 .acres, which he improved, and where 
he m.ade his home, and spent the years of his life 









ssei 




MAHASKA COUNTY. 



323 



until 1870, when he moved to Oskaloosa. Ho Iwul 
in the meantime liought acUlitional and adjoining 
lands until tiie home farm amounted to 480 acre?;. 
After a residence of nearlj' five j^cars in Oskaloosa 
he bought a farm of 200 acres in Spring Creek 
Township, near Oskaloosa. He now owns 343 acres 
and six dwellings, including his residence. He re- 
turned to Oskaloosa after residing on the farm 
nearly six years, and has a nice, comfortable resi- 
dence in tlie north part of the city. 

The first imi)rovements made on the place were 
of the primitive sort. The house was a clean 
shant}', 14x14 in size, made of linn logs, and built 
high enough to admit of cutting a doorwa}'. The 
floor was laid with puncheons, and the fireplace was 
a rude structure of mud and sticks, and over all a 
clapboard roof. That roof, unlike those of the 
present time, permitted the freest circulation of 
air, and in the winter season Mr. Roberts was com- 
pelled to suspend a wagon cover over the bedstead, 
to keep the snow out of their faces while they 
slept. The bedstead was of home manufacture, 
made of poles selected for th.at jiurpose in the tim- 
ber; these poles inserted in holes bored in the w.all 
of the building and supported at the loose end by 
forked sticks carefully chosen for that purpose. 

Mr. Roberts came to this county comparatively 
a poor man, bringing with him at tiie time $120, 
receiving an additional S200, making a total of 
$320 with which to begin life in this then new 
country. But he endui-ed the hardships incident 
to the life of a pioneer, w.as economical in his hab- 
its, and by his thrift, .accumulated a competencj', 
and is to-daj' one of the well-to-do farmers of this 
county. He is still living in Oskaloosa. having re- 
tired from the active duties of life, and onl^- busies 
himself now in the care of his ample property. 
He is a stockholder in the Mahaska County Bank. 

Mr. and Mrs. Roberts were the parents of eleven 
children, ten of whom lived to be adults: Jonathan 
lives at .Santa Rosa, Cal.; Mary A. was the wife of 
Robert Bass, and died July 25, 18()3; William J. 
is living at Leavenworth, Kan. ; Joseph C. resides 
in Vernon County, Mo.; Charles A. is in Cowley 
County, Kan.; Ephraim died April 6, 1873; 
Amanda J. is the wife of Thom.as Johnson, of 
Southern California; .bdin C. resides in Kt. Dodge, 



Kan.: Nannie K. ; Eliza A. is the wife of T. A. 
White, of Oskaloosa; one child died in infancj". 

In earl}' life Mr. Roberts w.is an old-line Whig, 
liut of l.ate 3-ears has affiliated with the Democracy. 
He held the oMice of Justice of the Peace in Adams 
Township for many 3'ears, and in the j-ear 1 802 was 
the nominee of his party for member of the Legis- 
lature from this count}'. He is a man of large gen- 
eral information, a great reader, .and keeps himself 
posted upon all the current topics of the day. Re- 
ligiously Mr. and Mrs. Roberts are .adherents of 
the principles of the Methodist Epi.scopal Churcii. 
Mr. Roberts now contemplates with complacenc}- 
the e.ase and enjoyment of his present life, as con- 
trasted with the hardships he endured, and the sac- 
rifices that were made to attain his present easy 
financial Condition. He enjoys the friendship and 
esteem of a large circle of friends and acipiaint- 
ances, and is a citizen of whom any community 
m.ay well be proud. 




•■S.J-iw?<-' 



•^^m^i^^i^ 



II 




JT3 


IIXH 


c 


ri«j 






E 


[qU 


1-1 


:iiri 


B 


Gsa 



eALVIN WOODRUFF, Sheriff of Mah.aska 
County, Iowa, is a native of Muskingum 
County, Ohio, born April 2, 1837, and is 
the son of David Woodruff, a n.ative of A'irginia. 
who went to Ohio with his parents, became ac- 
quainted with and married Miss Mary Barker, who 
w:is born in Periy County, and afterward settle<l 
in Muskingum. To them were born thirteen chil- 
dren, seven now living. David Woodruff was in 
early life an old-line ^^'hig, and an ardent admirer 
of Henry Claj', but lias affiliated with the Repub- 
lican party since it< organization. The old people 
are still living in JIuskingum County, Ohio, .and 
are acceptable members of the Baptist Church. 

The subject of this sketch, Calvin Woodruff, was 
reared on a farm, receiving his education in the 
district schools. Oct. 1, 1861, he enlisted in Co. 
A, ()2d Ohio \'ol. Inf., as a priv.ate. The regiment 
w.os stationed at Cumberland, Md.. during the fol- 
lowing winter. The spring of 1862 found the 
command at .Martinsburg, and March 22 they par- 
ticipated in the battle t)f Winchester, and the en- 
gagement at Port Republic. In June it joined 
Gen. McDowell at Fredericksburg, and took part 






■r 




uji xarm TM 




pmt nxiriij ii^Mjrianirxii' ytST>?y-j ■ i r tjh rnxxi ra r xa ix i i ii 



xxuiE 



ixxainnirixjnxmtTxiuT 






tmnxj rrrrxji mjcxnmzTj 



■'5 . 
13 



324 






[feTJ 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 




ill that battle. They were with McClelland in his 
seven clays' battle before Richmond, and after his 
retreat were placed under the command of (ien. 
Peck, at Suffolk. They were a part of the expedi- 
tion, under (ien. Burnside, to New Berne, N. C, 
and two weeks later were sent to South Carolina, 
and while making a charge on Ft; Waggoner Mr. 
^\'oodrutT was wounded in the right hip by a minie 
ball. He was promoted Sergeant in June, 1863, and, 
by orders horn the War Department, was sent home 
with a squad of eleven men to protect the draft, 
continuing on that <luty four months, when he was 
appointed a recruiting otHcer. In November, 1863, 
he was sent to his command at Hilton Head, S. C, 
re-enlisted as a veteran, came home on veteran 
furlough, and returned to his command in West 
Virginia in time to take part in the expedition of 
Gen. Butler on the James River. In the fall of 
1864 he was promoted First Lieutenant, and soon 
after to the Captaincy of his company. In March, 
1865, the regiment joined the Army of the Poto- 
mac, and served under Gen. Grant up to the sur- 
render of Lee. The Captain was taken prisoner 
about twenty minutes before Lee's surrender, b}' a 
force of rebels in Federal uniform, was sent to 
Annapolis, Md., and mustered out the following 
June. 

In April, 1868, Capt. Woodruff came to Oska- 
loosa, where he followed his trade of carpenter and 
joiner. In 187,5 he was appointed Deputy Mar- 
shal of the city of Oskaloosa, and received the ap- 
pointment of Chief Marshal in 1877, in which 
position he served one 3'ear. He has been identi- 
fied with the Fire Department, serving the cit}' 
twelve yeai's as Foreman and three years as Chief 
of the Department. In November, 1885, he was 
elected Sheriff of this county, which otHce he now 
holds. He is a member of Phil Kearney Post No. 
40, G. A. R., and has held the office of Post Com- 
4 raander of the same. He is a member of the I. O. 
j} O. F., and has held every official position of im- 
portance in that order. 

The Captain was married, Oct. 6, 1858, to Miss 
Louisa Foster, a daughter of William Foster, and a 
native of Virginia. By this union there are four 
living children: Emma C, at home; Calvin F., 
now in the employ of Wells, Fargo & Co., at 



Omaha, Neb. ; David W., now officiating as Deputy ; 

Sheriff of this county, and Harrj- S., engaged in , 

the manufacture of washing-machines in Oskaloosa. . 

The Captain is a genial gentleman, and numbers L 

his friends by the score. As an officer he is efficient ; ' 

and fearless, and is fast placing himself in the front : 
ranks as one of Iowa's best .Sheriffs. 



JOHN H. WILEY, M. D., of Oskaloosa, was » 
born in Westmoreland Countj^, Pa., Sept. 
14, 1821. He is a son of James Wiley, who 
was born Aug. 30, 1794, and Elizabeth (Mc- 
Curd}') Wiley, born Dec. 23, 1797, who were mar- 
ried Sept. 19, 1X20. They were jjarents of seven 
children: John IL, born Sept. 14, 1821 ; Elizabeth, 
May 2, 1824; Mary A., born Aug. 1, 1827, died 
Aug. 9, 1834; .James A., born June 22, 1830, died 
July 30. 1834; Caroline J., born July 18, 1835; 
Hannah M., June 29, 1839; Maria L., Sept. 20, ^ 
1841. Mr. and Mrs. James Wiley were farmers b}' 
occupation, and were consistent, highly respected, 
and influential members of the Presbyterian Church 
in the county where they resided. Mr. Wiley died 
June 22, 1861, and his widow survived him until 
June 9, 1882. 

.John H. was reared a farmer's boy and received 
only a common-school education, supplemented by 
more liberal acquirements at Greensburg Academy 
and Jefferson College. While a mere boy he 
evinced a disposition for the study of medicine, 
and in 1844 entered the office of Dr. Crawford at 
Clarksburg, Decatur Co., Ind., where the family 
then resided, and remained under instruction for 
several years. He afterward attended the Medical 
Universitj' of New York, receiving its full course 
of lectures, and attended a private course at the 
New York Hospital. Returning thence to Kings- 
ton in Decatur County, he commenced the practice 
of his profession. In 1854 he attended lectures at 
the Eclectic Medical Institute of Cincinnati, and 
graduated there in February. 1854, and .again re- 
turned to Kingston and followed his chosen profes- 
sion for a number of years. In 1871 the Doctor 
came to Oskaloosa, where he has since resided. He 
is a member of the Eclectic Medical Association of 



If 



^.c.,:^sa 







MAHASKA COUNTY. 



32/i 



If)\va, ami in 188.") filled the |)().«iti()n "f ('<invs|>i)ii(l- 
ing Sccrct.'ir.v of that society. 

The Doctor was iiianied, in Decatur C'onntv, 
Ind., Dec. (I, 18 1(1, to Miss Angeline Antrohiis, a 
native of that eonnty, born April ;!, 18'2.'). Uy this 
marriage there have been five cliildren, three now 
living: Isabella. I.: Klizabeth, wife of Allen John- 
son of Ottiimwa: Alice A. married Ernest (iihbs of 
Ottumwa, and died June A, 1881; Carrie !S[., wife 
of N. E. Owen, of Lathrop. Mo.; Harry died June 
9, 18(>G. The Doctor and wife are acceptable 
members of the Presbyterian Church. In the pro- 
fession of medicine none rank higher or more fully 
enjoy the confitlence of the people than doe.s the 
Doctor. 

^^EORGE C. JIORGAN, of the firm of Laf- 
f|[ (— ., ferty & Morgan, attoniej>-at-law, ( )skaloosa, 
^^i| was b(jrn in Paris Township, Portage Co., 
Ohio, Jan. .'ll, 1847, and is the son of Evan and 
Sarah (Phillips) Morgan. His parents were born 
in Wales, but made their home in ( )hio. There his 
mother died in 1870, and his father in December, 
1879. The subject of this sketch, (ieorge C. Mor- 
gan, was educated at Hiram College and Mt. Union 
College. He went to Michigan in 1868, and from 
there the following year to Davenport, Iowa, where 
he entered upon the study of law in the office of 
George Hubbell, and was admitted to the bar in 
that city, in May, 1875. He entered upon and con- 
tinued the practice of his profession at Davenport 
until June, 1875, when he removed to New Sharon, 
opened an office, and practiced successfullj' until 
September, 188;!, and then came to this cit}'. His 
existing partnershiji with Mr. Lafferty was formed 
in November, 1884. 

Mr. Morgan was united in marriage, at New 
Sharon, April 15, 187C, to Miss Hannah (Trahain,a 
native of Columbiana County, Ohio, and a daughter 
of Thomas and Mary (Jraham. One child has been 
born of this union, a son, Evan, now aged five years. 
Mrs. Morgan is a member of the Christian Church. 
In political affiliations Mr. Morgan is Republican. 
He is a member of the Masonic fraternitj-, and a 
Knight Templar Mason. The firm of which he is a 
member occupies a leading rank among the bar oi 



this city, au<l enjoys a lucrative jirnctice. The sen- 
ior of the firm has filled tlu' ollice of District Attor- 
ney for tiiis judici.-il district, and was accounted 
among the ablest and most careful prosecutors 
in the State. Mr. Morgan is a careful, painstak- 
ing lawyer au<l devoted to the interests of his cli- 
ents. He is thoit)Ughly conscientious, a man of tin; 
strictest integrit}', and enjoys the confidence of his 
fellow-citizens. 



AMES R. ASHER, of the firm of Asher X- 
Wonnley. proi)rietors of the Asher House, 
Oskaloosa, was born at Carthago, Hancock 
J Co., 111., Aug. 22, 18.37, and is the son of 
Preston 1*. and Ursula (Towles) Asher. The father 
was born in Kentucky and the mother in \'irginia. 
The family came to Illinois in 1835, and when 
the subject of this sketch was eleven 3'ears old his 
father died. Left at that earl3' age without a father's 
guiding care, James R. saw more of the world in lli^ 
j'outh than niost boys. He was a witness to the 
killing of the Mormon leader, Joe Smith, at Nau- 
voo. He traveled (juite extensivelj- in the south, 
and for a while made his home at Kirksville, Mo., 
and tlien returned to Illinois. At the commence- 
ment of the late war he enlisted at Keokuk, in 
April, 1861, in the 100 da3's' service, and subse- 
quently re-enlisted in Co. C, 21st Mo. Vol. Inf.. 
served seven months, and was then discharged on 
account of phj'sical disabilitj\ 

Mr. Asher came to Oskaloosa in March, 1803, and 
was employed as clerk with one house for eight 
years in the grocery business. In the year 1872 he 
began business for himself in the same line, contin- 
uing until 1876, when he went to Bussej-, Marion 
Co., Iowa, followed the same business, and also op- 
erated in coal for a period of two years, and then 
returned to Oskaloosa. On his return to this cit^- 
he opened the famous Clipper Restaurant, and op- 
erated it until Februar}-, 1886. when he engaged 
in his present business. In April of the same j-ear 
Mr. Asher associated with him in the business. Col. 
V. P. Wormlej'. an exi)erienced hotel man, not ex- 
celled as a caterer in the West. The Asher is a 
first-class hotel, of seventj'-five rooms, situated at 
the southwest corner of the Square. It is furnished 



I' 



11^ 












.:^ 



' Ml4l«A3 jjiinTituxijLuriiiinjii 



1 1 lixixi-tj ixiTiizrii 1 1^^ 



' ( ITIXXXZXC 



jmitxi-*' ■ 



'jtTxunzxij 







^3i 



326 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



M: 



in an elegant style throughout, is heated by steam, 
lighted by incandescent electric light, and is com- 
lilcte in all its appontments. 

Nov. 21, 18G2, Mr. Asher was united in mar- 
riage with Mi.ss Zerilda McCarty, a native of Ken- 
tucky, and a daughter of James and Malinda 
(Lough) McCarty. To them five children have 
lieen liorn, three only of whom are living: Me- 
linda is the wife of W. II. Bowen, of Oskaloosa; 
James P. is in California; Nellie Z. is at home. 
Mrs. Asher is a member of the Baptist Church. 
Mr. Asiier is a Mason and an Odd Fellow, and in 
his })ulitical atHliations a Democrat. 

One event in the life of Mr. Asher, not unworthy 
of mention was his tour through the western Ter- 
ritories to the Pacific Coast, made in the summer 
of 1884, for the improvement of his health. Dur- 
ing this trip he visited the famous National Park 
at the headwaters of the Yellovvstone, the principal 
cities of iMontana and Idaho, the various mining 
regions, and also visited Oregon and Washington 
Territory. This tour was one of great interest to 
him, as indeed it is to every one who visits this far- 
off region, either for health or pleasure. The won- 
ders he saw cannot be described, and to be appre- 
ciated, must be seen, but he gained that which he 
sought and returned to his home with improved 
health and a fund of western 3'arns that only Jim 
Asher can tell with the proper expression. To use 
a western expression, Mr. Asher is a " rustler," and 
would succeed in any undertaking and under any 
circumstances, because of an indomitable push and 
enei'gy that is characteristic of the man. He is pop- 
ular as a landlord because of his courtesy and at- 
tention to the wants of his guests, and he who 
visits his present elegant hotel once is sure to call 
again. 

•O-i— * o<-s^H«DJ|>.^.o ^i— {<• 



•^fl B. McCURDY, of the firm of J. B. McCurdy 
& Co., wholesale and retail furniture and 
undertaking, Oskaloosa. is a native of Lick- 
ing Count}'. Ohio, where he was born Aug. 
'^it'iliaiH l 4' 1843. He is the son of Jacob and Sarah 
(Doughty) McCurdy, who were natives of Pennsyl- 
vania, but emigrated to Ohio at an early day. 
They were the parents of two children, who have 





grown to manhood. H. H., a merchant of Frank- 
lin County, Ohio, and the subject of this sketch. 
Mr. and Mrs. McCurdy were members in good 
standing in the Methodist Episcop.al Church. Mrs. 
McCurdy died in 1847. and Mr. McCurdy in 1849, 
leaving young McCurdy to the care of friends, by 
whom he was raised. W. H. Barrickman was his 
friend during his boyhood days, caring for him as 
he would for a child of his own. With him he came 
to Iowa in 1854, settling in Cedar County, where 
he remained a short time. 

In 1855 Mr. McCurdy located in Poweshiek 
County, Iowa, and at the age of fourteen years was 
employed as clerk in the post-ofliee at Montezuma, 
for two and a half years. He spent one year in 
school at that place, and in 18G1 came to Oska- 
loosa. In August, 1862, he enlisted in Co. C, 28th 
Iowa Vol. Inf., under command of Capt. J. W. 
Carr, of INIontezuma, remaining with his command 
until the following April; he was on the White 
River expedition. His health failing, he was in 
April, 18G3, sent to St. Louis, Mo., and the follow- 
ing July was transferred to the A'eteran Reserve 
Corps. In 1803 that corps was sent to Indianapolis, 
Ind., where the}' were in charge of the reliel pris- 
t>ners confined at Camp iVIorton. Our subject was 
color-bearer and had charge of the roll-call of 400 
prisoners. 

Mr. McCurdy was discharged July 5, 1865, at 
the close of the war, when he returned to Oska- 
loosa and attended one term in school. He attended 
the Commercial College at l\It. Pleasant, Iowa, and 
graduated there. In 18GG, in company with F. G. 
Hamilton, he purchased the interest of Benjamin 
Roop, in the old mill in the west part of the city, 
to which thej' added machinery for the manufacture 
of woolen goods. He continued in this business 
until 1868, when he sold out and formed a partner- 
ship in the hardware business, under the firm name 
of P. A. Watts & Co., which continued until 1870, 
when he purchased the interest of Nelson & Nich- 
ols, in the furniture and undertaking business, and 
formed the firm of J. B. McCurdy & Co., which h.as 
continued successfull}' until the present time. In 
1881 they built their present building, which is of 
brick, 70x20 feet, consisting of three stories and a 
basement, and in 1884, finding their space not am- 



m 



3s 





¥ 



'wutui£i/ 




\ 



I 



1 ijirii«j([fjjix'ixf«h n3Ltf »^ tj i»fi^ 'C PJ«j«< T» 
iiTi rUTriiiTTfll- ixxiTxTr MxiTTTTTiTUixizmTUUixzixxixxz 




I: : 
I : 
I : 
I : 
i:.F 

iac 



13? 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



329 



pie euougli to iioconiiiiodiite their gniwiiig trade, 
built an addition .JOx-iO toot, throe .stories and base- 
ment, and the entire buil<ling, one of the iarge.st in 
the city, is occupied by them in their business. 

.1. B. McC'urd}' wa.s married, Sc|)t. IS, 1872, to 
Miss Cella Moore, of .Montezuma, Iowa, daughter 
of Mr. and Mrs. Henderson Moore, of Poweshiek 
County, who were natives of Ohio. By tiiis mar- 
riage there were three children : I^ena A., born 
.July 10, 1875; Ralph B., May 25, 1877, and Helen 
M., May 2, 1886. Mr. and Mrs. MeCunly are 
prominent and acceptable members of the Method- 
ist Episcopal Church. He is a member of Phil 
Kearney Post No. 40, O. A. R., also of the A. O. 
['. \V. and Iowa Legion of Honor. Mr. MeCurd}- 
IS a man, who, by suavity in manner, and fair and 
honorable dealing witli his ])atrons, has built up a 
large and profitable business in his line, and enjoys 
in a large degree the respect and confidence of the 
people among whom he has cast his lot. Politicall3- 
he is a Republican, and for several j'ears has filled 
acceptably the office of Township Trustee. 



>^->ti^- 



5^,{^= 



"^isS-' 





ON. WILLIAM T. .SMITH, :itt(jrney at law 
and Postmaster at ( )skaloosa, is a man well 
and favorabl}- known, not only throughout 
Mahaska County', but throughout the. State. 
He is a native of Pennsylvania, born May 23, 1824, 
and is the .son of Christiipher S. and Margaret 
(Thompson) Smith, the father a native of Delaware 
and the mother of Pennsjdvania. While yet a lad 
the family moved to Ohio, locating first at Da3'ton, 
and moving thence toXeuia. His father had been 
in fair circumstances while in Pennsylvania, but 
lost heavily in assisting others. During his boj'- 
hood days young Smith attended the select school 
of Thomas Steele several y^ars, working in the 
summer on a farm or in town, as he could find work 
to do. At the age of sixteen he commenced teach- 
ing a district school, and continued teaching, 
mostly in winter, and attending school or reading 
law in the summer, until .Jul}' 31, 1847, when, on 
examination bj' the Supreme Court of Ohio, at De- 
fiance, he was admitted to practice as an attorney 



'il- 



and counselor at law in any of the courts of that 
State. 

On the 18th day of September, 1847, with but' 
^35 in his pocket, witli l>nt few clothes, and not 
sn[)posing that he knew a single individual in 
Iowa, our subject started for the llawke3'e State. 
Descending the Ohio, tlicnco up the Mississippi to 
Burlingtf)n, he was there, on motion of .1. C. Hall, 
admitted to the Iowa bar. During the following 
winter, he taught a term of school near Fairfield, 
and in the spring of 1«48 came to Mahaska Count}', 
locating at Oskaloosa, where, on the 10th of March, 
he formed a law partnership with W. H. Seevers. 
As neither of these gentlemen had law books or 
monej', JNIr. Smith went to Burlington and pur- 
chased flOO worth of books from J. Fox Abrams 
on time, after making a plain statement of his finan- 
cial condition, prospects, etc. He was forced in 
the same way to secure credit for his board bill. 
But brighter days were ahead. At the annual 
election in August, 1848, Mr. Smith was elected 
County Prosecuting Attorney, which office he filled 
for two years. 

During the summer of 1849 Mr. Smith visited 
Ohio, and while there was united in marriage, 
on the 29th day of June, with Miss Magdalene 
Shannon, of Greene Count}', that State. This was 
a fortunate step, Mrs. Smith being to him truly a 
helpmeet. Eight children have been born to them, 
five of whom died in infancy. The living are 
Laura M., wife of Byron V. See vers; Omer C, who 
married Miss Lizzie Cutts, Dec. 31, 1885, and 
Lua L. 

On the dissolution of the partnership with Judge 
Seevers, Ma}' 17, 1852, Mr. Smith associated with 
Judge Loughridge in legal practice. This part- 
nership closed within one year, when Mr. Smith and 
M. T. Williams formed a [lartnership in the law "^^J^^ 
and real-estate business, to which was added bank- 
ing, the firm of Smith & AVilliams opening the first 
bank in Oskaloosa, March 1, 1855. This partner- 
ship continued until Jan. 1, 1857, when Mr. .Smith 
became sole proprietor of the bank, and continued 
business, under the style of AVilliam T. Smith & 
Co. From this time, for about ten years, Mr. 
.S. was one of the leading bankers of Central Iowa. 

In 1S5.S the .State Bank of Iowa was organized. 



I .: riiTTirr »'iii« ji ii tW»y»xi 




nmiiirrx 



-3T-iC 



TXilUL^frrttxxiurtJ' 




iinxxtuiai 



ir" 330 

L'-A 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



m 






-I 

"1 



m 



i-!3r 



ini 







REgJ: 



and .Mr. Smith was elected ^'ic(' President of the 
s.anie, and as such was Chairman of the executive 
committee of whicli Hon. S. .). Kirkvvood, after- 
ward Iowa'.s War (iovernor, and Hon. Hiram Price, 
.subsequently a Member of Congre.s.s, were the 
other member.s. When the C).skaloosa branch of 
the .State Bank was organized, Mr. Smith was its 
lirst Cashier, and subsequently President of the 
.same, controlling a majority of the stock. This 
bank, in 18()4, was changed to the National State 
Bank of O.skaloo.sa, of which Mr. Smith was Presi- 
dent until he sold his stock in consequence of poor 
health, resulting from overwt)rk. 

While in active practice .is an attorney Mr. 
Smitli acquired ipiite a reputation in the line of 
mercantile collections, then a very considerable 
and profitable business in Iowa. To avoid the 
throwing away of Ijusiness of this kind, which fre- 
quently offered itself, Mr. Smith became a member 
of the firm of Smith, Rice & Myers, the latter gen- 
tlemen .attending to the collection business. The 
firm ivas dissolved April 1, 1.^59, Gen. E. W. Price 
buying out the business. In the spring of 18iJ(! the 
Iowa Insurance Companj' was organized, and Mr. 
Smith was elected its President, which position he 
held during the existence of the company. In ev- 
ery railroad project in Slahaska County he has 
taken an active interest, giving of his time and 
means to secure their location here. For two years 
he was President of the Central Iowa, and to his 
efforts the success of the work is greatly due. 

The cause of public education has found in AVill- 
iam T. Smith a true friend. For years a member 
of the School Pjoard, and as its President several 
terms, he rendered valuable aid in setting in mo- 
tion those things that have greatly advanced the 
educational interests of Oskaloosa. Many improve- 
ments in buildings and methods of .school work 
were made at his suggestion. He was a large sub- 
.seriber to the Oskaloosa College, and in the contest 
made for securing its location at Oskaloosa by the 
church controlling it, took an active part, and was 
the author of the proposition made in tlie conven- 
tion securing sucii location. 

As a land-owner, agriculturist and citizen, Mr. 
Smith has taken great interest in Mahaska County 
fairs, having been intimately connected with every 






1 






association of the kind from the first inception to • 
the present time, as exhibitor, contributor, stock- : 
holder. Director and President. He was also Chair- : 
man of the Finance Committee of the .State Agri- f 
cultural Society for some j-ears, and b}' his wise : 
financiering and counsels contributed much to its : 
welfare. In Januar\', 18s3, he w.as elected Presi- : 
dent of the State Agricultur.al Society by an unani- ; 
nious vote, and re-elected in 1884 and 1885. While [ 
in this position, he was not a mere figure head, as '■ 
is so often the case with those occupying similar ■ 
positions, but was an ardent and an enthusiastic ; 
worker, and during his administration the society 
had a veritable bo<jm, the annu.il fairs proving a 
grand success. On one day of the fair held in 188.'! 
there were 00,000 people upon the ground, and 
during the week the fair receipts amounted to over 
$43,000. Mr. Smith was one of the first to advo- 
cate a permanent home for the .society, and while 
others had but little faith in the success of the un- 
dertaking, he went before the Legislature at its 
session in the winter of 1883-84 and secured an 
appropriation of $.50,000 to purchase and fit u]) 
permanent fair grounds. From the citizens of that 
city and from the raihvjad companies oiierating 
lines to the place, he secured subscriptions amount- 
ing to $.50,000. With this 260 acres of land were 
purchased, which have been fitted up in the best 
manner for the society's use. 

Politically Mr. Smith has always been a Demo- 
crat, and notwithstanding he lives in a citj' in 
which a large majority was op])osed to him politi- 
cally, he has been four times elected to the office of 
M.ayor, three times without opposition. He was 
the first M.ayor of the cit}', elected in 1853. He = 
was again elected in 1856, 1857 and 1872. This is : 
evidence that he was held in high esteem b}- those E 
who knew him best, and shows, too, that the people r 
of Oskaloosa appreciated his worth as a citizen, one ■ 
willing to do all in his power to adv.ance the inter- : 
ests of the city. At the outbreak of the war for r 
the Union, Mr. Smith believing that the South . 
should seek redress and .assert its rights under the : 
Constitution and in the Union, was among the first [: 
at a jjublic meeting held in Union Hall, in Oska- : 
loosa, to announce himself in favor of coercion, and 
was active in all movements in Mahaska Couutj- on 



'X 

■n- 



I& 




n 



r: 

i;:: 

in: 
^ =? 

liiC 

I-.: 

U-: 

P 

i:.h 

W : 

1' : 
Oj : 



1 



1-: 
i: 

\^ 
r: 

Oi: 



I : 
I : 

I : 
1 : 

\i 

i\ : 
u 



I 
I 






K-^^r^r^iA fSPrfn=^l^ 




J ^ ;=^ P P ^i"-"^ P ' T 



isTJ^^^W 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



331 



the side of the Union. That his eft'orts were appre- 
ci.ated bj' one man outside of Mahaska County, 
will be seen by the letter which follows. In 1870, 
much against his will, Mr. Smith was made a candi- 
date for Congress in the old Fourth District, of 
wliicii Mahaska County then formed a part. The 
nomination was unanimously made, and although 
the district was overwhelmingly' Republican, the 
race w.as made. To set at rest any charges that 
might be made by the opposition of his loyalty to 
the Union in the time of its darkest trials, Mr. 
Smith wrote a letter to ex-Gov. Kirkwood, low.a's 
War Governor, asking him to state what he knew 
of his actions in that period. The following was 
the Governor's reply: 

Iowa City, Aug. 20, ls70. 

■William T. Smith, Esq., Oskaloo.sa, Iowa: 

Dpar Sir: — Your letter of the 2.5th inst., asking 
me for a statement relative to your course during 
the late war between tiie United States and the so- 
called Southern Confetleiaey, so far as the same 
came under mj' observation, during my term of of- 
fice as Governor, has just been received, and I 
very cheerfullj' complj' with j'our request. 

It is well known to some, but may not be known 
to all the people of our State, tliat those who were 
charged with the duty of placing in the licUl the 
troops called for from this State, lal)oied under 
veiy serious embarrassments during the fust few 
months of the war. There was not any dilticulty 
in raising the men. They came by thousands when 
t)nly hundreds were called for. The difficulty was 
in raising money to organize them and put them in 
the held. The United Slates could not then furnish 
the numej-, and there was not any monej' in the 
State Treasury. At the extra session (Maj-, 11S(>1), 
our State J.,egislature authorized the issuance and 
sale of tile bonds of the State, and several weeks 
must necessarily elapse before the bonds could be 
prepared and offered for sale in the way provided by 
law. In the meantime moi'e troops were called for 
and more inouej' w:is needed for their organiz.atiou. 
Tlie validity of the bonds of the State was attacked 
both in our own .State and in New York, on the 
grounds that the Legislature liad not the power to 
authorize their issue, thus injuring their credit and 
of course lessening the ciiances of their sale. 

lu this emergenc3' an appeal was made to certain 
citizens of the .State wiio had or could control 
money, amongst others, you. That appeal was 
promptly responded to by you and by others. You 
at once took my personal draft for about iS5,000, 
and advanced me the money. You, also, at my 



suggestion, advanced about ^2,000 to other persons 
to meet the expenses of organizing certain troops, 
and afterward took about 4;1 3,000 of our State 
bonds at the highest price at which any of them 
were sold, and when they were wholly unsaleable in 
New Y'ork. In short, you were one of a few men 
through whose liberality and patriotism the .State 
was enabled, in the early part of the war, to 
achieve for itself at home its reputation of "alw:iy> 
ready," which throughout the war it so well main- 
tained at home and in the field, and during my 
term of office I believed and acted upon my be- 
lief, that you steadilj' maintained throughout the 
war the stand you took at its commencement. 

You and I belong to different political parties, 
but 1 must wholly lose my self-respect before 1 
can, for political or any other consideration, refuse 
to do justice to one who eucour.aged and aided me 
at a time of public peril, when I so much needed 
encouragement and aid. 

Very respectfully, 

S. J. Kirkwood. 
Notwithstanding .Judge Loughridge had been 
'elected over John P. Irish, two years previously, 
by a majoritj" of 7,300, Mr. Walden's majority was 
reduced to 4,122, another evidence of the popu- 
larity of the subject of this sketch. 

For many years Mr. Smith, in addition to his 
other labors, carried on an extensive farm, giving 
his attention more especially to stock-raising. At 
present he is doing but little in this direction. 
Having lived to see his party once more come into 
power, he has received the appointment of Post- 
master of Oskaloosa, and is at present giving his 
persoiual attentiou to the duties of that office. That 
he will make a popular officer is unquestioned. He 
has heretofore been tried by the city of his choice 
and never found wanting. This appointnient came 
to him unsolicited, and was brought about in a pe- 
culiar manner. When President Cleveland came 
into office, it was desired by many that the new 
Commissioner of Agriculture should be a Western 
man. Mr. Smith, who was then a member and 
President of the State Board of Agriculture of 
Iowa, proposed to the Board that it recommend 
Hon. D. W. .Smith, of Illinois, for that position. 
This the Board declined to do, stating it had a man 
in view from its own State in the person of William 
T. Smith, of Oskaloosa, whom it proposed to rec- 
ommend for the position. Mr. Smith urged tliem 
not to do so, assuring them that he did not desire 



ii 



n 



LS^^ 



11 






jiinmiii' 



i lQ^aJ." 



RjfXMrzriv?' 




332 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



the office, but while temporarily called from the 
room, the Board passed a very flattering resolution 
urging his nomination ))j' President Cleveland. 
The following is the resolution : 

Resolved, That we, the Board of Directors of the 
Iowa State Agricultural Society, believe that the 
man to fill the office of Commissioner of Agricult- 
ure should be selected from the great West, and as 
no State stands higher in intelligent, broad and 
practical agriculture than Iowa, we are of opinion 
that the coming administration could do no better 
than to come to our State to select the man to fill 
that office, ami we most cheerfully and unanimouslj' 
recommend Hon. William T. Smith, of Oskaloosa, as 
a suitable gentleman for that |)osition. Mr. Smith is 
a man of large and varied experience in the practical 
affairs of life, and no man is better acquainted with 
the wants of the great agricultural nation than he. 
He has been a i-esident of the State a third of a 
century, and has been largely interested and en- 
gaged in developing its various resources. His 
methodical way in doing business, learned from 
some j'ears of experience in the ijanking business in 
the earlier years of the State ; his efficient work in 
5^ seciu'irig to this part of the State its present lai'ge 
railroad facilities; his great aid rendered to the coal 
interests ; his intimate knowledge of the farm and 
stock interest, in which he has been engaged many 
years, and wliich has been demonstrated in the im- 
provement in the different kinds of live stock which 
he has from time to time owned and introduced, 
all point to and assure his capacit}' for the position 
at the head of this leading indnstr3' of the nation. 
In addition, the people of this State have not been 
slow to recognize his worth, as he was retained 
W eight years as Chairman of the Fin.ance Committee 
H of this Board, afterward, during some years a lead- 
j=)^ji ing and influential Director, and is now serving his 
y^^ third term as President, to which office he was 
elected three several times without a dissenting 
vote, and under his administration our societ}' has 
made greater progress than at anj- period in its 
history, and assured a position superior to that of 
an}' State Agricultural Society in the Union. 

Being thus strongly backed by the State Board, 
and with other recommendations, Mr. Smith went 
t(^ Washington, where his case was laid before the 
President l)y the Iowa Democratic delegation in 
Congress, .and others. There is but little doubt that 
the President had fully made up his mind to give 
him the appointment, but through the persistent 
urging of Senators ^■est and Cockerill, of Missouri, 
he changed his mind and wave it to one of their 



constituents. If Iowa had had one Democratic 
Senator, Mr. Smith would have secured the posi- 
tion. 

Some mouths after this there were several appli- 
cants for the Oskaloosa post-office, their claims being 
strongly urged by friends. The Presidtait was at a 
loss to know whom to appoint, not caring to offend 
friends of either applicant, whose claims seemed 
to be equally balanced. In liis dilemma he said to 
one of the Iowa Members of Congress: "'Where 
is that man Smith, who was so highly recommended 
for Commissioner of Agriculture.- He is from Os- 
kaloosa, is he not.' " When' assured that he was, he 
said, " I will appoint him," and the appointment 
was made, as much to the surprise of Mr. Smith as 
an J' one else, as he had never thought of the posi- 
tion. 

William T. Smith is a man of sanguine tempera- 
ment, is strong in his likes and dislilces, warm in his 
friendship, one ever ready to lend a helping hand 
to those in distress, and help them to help them- 
selves. Esteemed alike by political friends and 
foes, he will ever continue to enjoj" their friendship 
and confidence. The world is better that such men 
live in and wield an influence in all its affairs. 

The publishers are well pleased to present the 
portrait of Mr. Smith to the readers of this Album, 
knowing that it will be appreciated by one and 
all, and that no one is more entitled to the honor 
of representation in its pages. 






^-^fi^»»-^»»^ 



<tf5<f-rt^*tf-» 



AMES B. DARLAND, of Union Township, 
was born in Kentucky, Aug. 12, 1820. He 
removed with his parents to Indiana in the 
^^// year 1821, residing there until 1844, and 
thence went with them to Illinois, living in Warren 
County until 1855, when the subject of this sketch 
migrated to Iowa, and settled in Union Township, 
i this county. 

i Our subject was married, June 23, 1842, to Miss 
Marj' Charles, a native ot Ohio. They are the par- 
ents of thirteen children : Lavina is the wife of 
j Joseph Stout, of this township; Catherine is the 
wife of L. M. Smith, also of this township; Anna A. 
is the wife of Henry Bolton, of Jewell County, 



I 



I/^rJ^rJ'- ' 



E Kan. ; Alinira is the wife of Chai-les Russel. of New 

is the wife of Louis Hedge, also of 

Louisa is the wife of !N. .1. Ferguson, 



Peter and Mary (Reece) Bateman, who were na- 
tives of W.nles, and died in that country. Mr. and 
Mrs. Hopkins have become tiie parents of ten chil- 
dren, seven of whom are now living — Marj^ Han- 
^^H Townsliip; L^'dia, Cora, William and Wilson are I nah, David, Thomas, Richard H., Sarah K. and Ida 
[[ij£ deceased; Mary is the wife of Joseph Evans, and j JL ; three died in infancy. 
PDI lives in Norton County, Kan. ; Loretta is deceased. 



E Sharon; Zelda is the wife of Louis Hedge, also of 
]\ : New Sharon 
}i 5 of this county; Newton resides in Pleasant Grove 



t The mother of these children died Feb. IS. 1.SK4, 
, Is and December 24 of the same year Mr. 1). married 
{:| as his second wife Mrs. Sarah Paradise. 

Mr. Darland is a Greenbacker, a man of huge 
information, and properl}' ranks as one (jf the lead- 
ers of that party in this county'. His religious 
-,' E afliliation is with the Primitive Baptist Church. 
rjj E When Mr. Darland first came to this county he 
; \vas the possessor of moderate means, and his fii'st 
h'i purchase was of forty acres of land, to which he 
E has added .is he has been prospered until now he is 
E the owner of 155 acres of excellent land, which, by 
: reason of intelligent farming, has been brought to 
E a most excellent state of cultivation, and all of 
jM : the improvements thereon are of the best class. 
] E He has prospered in life by reason of his industrj', 
1} : energy and excellent management. He is a man 
c :; of more than ordinary ability, of large general 



[} [ knowledge, and keeps himself advised, not only as 
'^ ; to matters relating to his business enterprises, but 

I 



us well all matters of general interest, and is able 
}■:: to express himself in a forceful niainicr upon all 
'^ : debatable questions, and is esteemed a most excel- 



}j : lent citizen. 

I :!: 
lis 
I •! 

i] : 
n. : 



V E Wales to America in the 3'ear 1 »69, and first made 



TiOHN' HOPKINS, a well-known and higliiy 
respected and esteemed resident of Harrison 
Township, is a coal-miner, residing on sec- 
tion 7, and was born in South Wales. Maich 
He is the sou of David and llauuali 
both of whom were born iji 
sketch came from 



m : 

\l 27, D^;i5 

I p (Davis) Hopkins 

Q E Wales. The subject of our 



" g his home in the State of Maryland, [)ursuing the 
ij;jE occupation of mining there until 1)^7^!, when he 
E came to ALaluiska Count}', where he has since re- 
vE sided. 

H E Oct. 11, l.HIJl, Mr. Hupkin.- was united in m;ii'- 
fu : riage with Miss Martha Bateman, a daugiiter of 






JiTTrTaiiTiinipnimm 



IlTITTnnLIlXilX""" ■■"""" 



P?^^ 



Mr. Hopkins has followed the occujiation of 
mining the greater portion of the time since his 
settlement in this county, and by good manage- 
ment and economy has procured for himself a little 
farm of twentj' acres, which is in an excellent state 
of cultivation. His house, barn and other build- 
ings are comfortable and convenient. Mrs. Hop- 
kins is a member of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. 

Politically iMr. Hopkins is a Republican. He is 
a man of more than average intelligence, and finds 
time in the midst of his labors to keep him.self 
thoroughly' posted upon the topics of the times. 
He manages his affairs with great prudence and 
eeonomj', and as a neighbor and citizen is held in 
high esteem by all who know him. 

-^ ^^ v^ 



1*=^ ARAH .1. EVANS, of I'nion Township, was 
5^^ lioru in Fayette County, Pa., .luly 12, 1827, 
Vv^-^J """^^ removed with her parents to L'nion 
County, Ohio, in the year 1832, and there 
resided until the year 1837, at which time the fam- 
ily removed to Iowa, and hicated in I'nion Town- 
ship, lliis county. In the year 1849 she was united 
in marriage with William Evans. Her maiden 
name was Sarah .1. Brown. Mr. Evans was a native 
of Mrginia, and was boin in ls2;i. coming to this 
county with his family in the year 18G0. He fol- 
lowed the business of farming and stock-raising, 
giving his particular atteution to the raising of 
Norman hor.ses and mules, and the growing favor 
of these horses, and the improvement made in stock 
throughout the section of the county in which he 
lived, is largely attribnUible to his efforts in that 
direction. 

-Mr. Evans enlisted in the li;i(l Iowa Infantry in 
the late war, for a period of three years, the greater 
portion of his time being spent in the Secret Service 
of the (Government, at Indianapolis, Ind., and by 



11IZXX4U 




Bi::i! 




iM 



m 



ir^i 



aMXXXKZMi T jmx Mtm xj i 





KT 1 1.1 J imi 



^.^MiyA.^ 1 1 i.xxxxzzzxxxKXxXXXxrrxxxzr2l! 



mm com 
rxTxrii Vtj i 



334 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 






n. 

m 

i 



reason of a peculiar adaptation to this work he 
rendered excellent service, which was highly com- 
mended. 

Mr. Evans died Sept. 20, 1880. The family 
consisted of nine children : Mar}' E. and Albert E. 
are at home; Adam B. lives in Adams Township; 
Isaac E. and John live in Phelps County, Neb.; 
Martha is the wife of William Trager, of Union 
Township; Emily J. is now the wife of Job Mc- 

j] ■ I Glassou, of Union Township; (ieorge M. is at 

jj ,; I home, and Charles Ls deceased. 

Mrs. Evans resides upon the homestead in Union 
Township, which consists of eighty acres of excel- 
lent land, well improved and in a good state of 
cultivati(tfi. She is succeeding fairly well in the 
affairs of life, and has jjroven herself in mauj' re- 
spects an admirable business manager, and enjoys 
the fullest esteem of many friends and acquaint- 
ances. 



W 



PESI 



llrnM fiF'^^\ ni\i\i.yjiM may ue 

I "I ^^^, ^^^^ occupation of farm 

— l(L/^) i^pi'ing Creek Township. 



'^ 



BARTON may be found engaged in 

ming on section 17, 

He was born in 

Preble Count}*, Ohio, and is the son of 

John and Rachel (Penland) Barton, who are now 

residents of Wayne County, Ind. They came to 

Iowa in 1859, and remained about eighteen months, 

at the expiration of which time the}' returned to 

Indiana, where they have since remained. 

The subject of this sketch came from Indiana in 
iii ..•[ the spring of 188'2 and located in this count}'. 
pMI Sept. 4, 1884, he was united in marriage with Miss 
[j:: || Lelia A., a daughter of Taylor and Lydia (Picker- 
i! H! ^^S) Mendenhall, who are residents of this town- 
j] p ship and follow the occupation of farming, 
tkrW'jl Mr. Barton resides on a portion of the land em- 
braced in the extensive purchase of the C, M. & 
jjtjSt. P. R. R. Co., lying northeast of the city of 
li Oskaloosa, and is engaged in general farming, in 

Himself 
of 
Friends. Mr. Barton is a man of more than aver- 
age ability, educationally, having attended Ada 
Cn liege in Hardin County, Ohio, for a period of 
three years, but was compelled to leave the school 
liecause of ill-health. I'olitically he is a Repub- 



fiaeHHS 




M which he has been reasonably successful, 
and wife are both members of the Society 




lican. Personally Mr. B. is a man of fine social 
qualities, and is highly esteemed as a most ex- 
cellent citizen, neighbor and friend. 



\T^ IJAVARD D. BREWER, a farmer, pleasantly 
I3 located on section 12, Jefferson Township, 
jvz:^' is a native of Mahaska County, his birth 
taking place Feb. 2G. 1855. His parents were 
Harry and Helen (Adams) Brewer. (See sketch 
of Harry Brewer elsewhere in this volume.) Edward 
was reared upon a farm, and educated in the dis- 
trict schools, supplemented by an attendance of 
several terms at Penn College, Oskaloosa. 

In 1877 Mr. Brewer was united in marriage with 
JNIiss Lucy Jones, n native of Noble County, 
Ohio, and daughter of James and Mary (Green) 
Jones, natives of Pennsylvania. They have one 
child, Helen Grace, born in 1880. Mr. and Mrs. 
Brewer are members of the JMethodist Episcopal 
Church, and our subject belongs to Given Lodge 
No. 477, 1. O. O. F. Politically he is a Green- 
backer. 

Mr. Brewer is the owner of 18(t acres of land, 
eighty of which are under improvement. He has 
a comfortable dwelling, which was erected at a 
cost of -$i)0O. In his farming operations he has 
made a specialty of raising and feeding cattle. In 
the winter of 1885-86 Mr. B. visited the World's 
Exposition at New Orleans, and considered the 
time and money well spent. He is a well-read and 
intelligent gentleman, and a useful member of the 
community. 



"I^j OBERT TILFORD, of Union Township, is 
IJW'-' very properly classed as a pioneer of this 
Ji \\\ county, haTing made settlement here in 
\^1845. He is a native of Adair County, 
Ky., his birth occurring Feb 3, 1819, and is a 
son of James and JMary (Workman) Tilford, who 
were natives of Virginia. In the year 1829 the 
family removed to Illinois, settled in Morgan 
County, and purchased 200 acres of land, which he 
soon converted into a pleasant home. lie was en- 



»; 




firtirHitTiiiiiTi 1 




\ r 



"iHHHeeia' 



rSTiFr^Hrrl 




MAHASKA COUNTY. 



335 



ergetic in the desire to accumulate [jroperty, that 
li : liis children might be cared for in the future, so in 
S : the s|)ring of 1.S4() he sold his farm for *2,()00, re- 
'h : moved to Iowa, purchased a section of land in 
'n\ '■ .lefferson Countj', and there si)ent the remainder of 
ijj : liis life. His death took place Dec. 27, 18(J0, at the 
,l|: ; age of sixty-two .years. His wife died in May of 
[{;iC the same year, at the age of sixt}^ years. There 

;: were nine children in the family, and had all at- 

l tained their majorit)^ before the death of their par- 

: ents. 
s^ : Robert Tilford. the subject of this sketch, was 

; the fourth child, and came with his parents to Iowa. 
■' ; Oct. 2."i, ISt.i, he united in marriage with Rebecca 
M : K. Andrews, a native of Iventueky, and immediate!}- 
(i : following his marriage removed to this count}', 
n.' : where he had previously' taken a claim on section 
ri : 1'2 of tills township, and there still resides. Mr. 
L : and Mis. Tilford are the pareuts of five children: 
1 : William is a farmer in Adair County, this State; 
:' . .Mary is the wife of .Jesse S. Euson, and lives in 
1 : Kansas, near Arkans.as Cit3',Cowle3' County ; Eliza- 
W : beth is the wife of Benjamin Clendenin, of Powe- 
ll : sliick Countv; Sarah E. is the wife of Stewart 
X ': Lockard. who resides at New Sharon; .John lives at 
;i! '. iiouic. While Mr. Tilford dates his permanent resi- 

; dence from 1845, it is a fact that he first came to 
?■: : this county in 1 .S43, taking up his claim while the 
y : Indians were ^et in possession, and making numer- 
C ; ous improvements thereon. He is really and truly 
m 5 among those who were pioneers in the settlement 
[J : of this county, and endured the hardships and pri- 

v= ; vations of those early days, workinn- for that success 

ill : . . ' o 

•M : that he has since obtained. In his political career 
■ ; Mr. Tilford was raised to believe the teachings of 
- Democracy, and acted with that party until the 
( ireelev campaign of \X~'2. That year lie voted 
,-, ; for I'eter Cooper, the candidate of the Oreenb.ack 
^ E party, and since th.at time voted a mixeil ticket. 
- ■ In 18(;<i he was atHicted with failing eyesight, and 
^ l became nearly blind, in fact, was totally' blind for 
J. 5 one se.ason, but by good care and proper treatment 
}-| has since recovered his sight. He was engaged in 
Jj| mixed farming and stock-raising, and is numbered 
M among the well-to-do farmers of the county. While 
s : :i man of ui')re than average aliility, and possessed 

Ij' : of large general kiiowleilge, hi' i> not particularly 

hj : 




demonstrative, and prefers the pursuit of f.arming 
and its attendant responsibility to the turmoil of 
politics and its empt}' honors, .\iiiong friends and 
neighbors, with whom he has so long been asso- 
ciated, he is greatl}' esteemed and respected. 

ENRV KLEINKOPF, of Harrison Town- 
ship, is actively engaged in the manufacture 
of stoneware. He was born in Henry 
Count}', Iowa, .Jul}- 15. I.s5i),and is the son 
of B. and Ernestine Kleinkopf. The former resides 
in Henry County, and pursues the occupation of 
farming, and the latter dieil in l.sTl. Both wen; 
natives of (ierinany. 

The subject of this sketch w;is united in mar- 
riage. May 2, 1886, with Miss Ida Harding, a 
daughter of Louis and Jane (Tatman) Harding. 
Her father is a farmer, j'et, like the son-in-law, is 
engaged in the manufacture of earthenware, to 
a considerable extent, and has one kiln running 
about all the time. 

The clay grounds used by our subject have been 
used for the manufacture of stoneware for many 
years, and the qualit}- of that goods has an estab- 
lished reputation in nearly every portion of Iowa. 
The clay is pure and free from all deleterious sub- 
stances, and is molded into almost every conceiva- 
ble shape, suitable for household and other uses, 
and finds a ready sale in the markets of the State, at 
remunerative prices. 



^t-St^^nm — \/v\^ 



~w-..-\«ijiii^r!g-^»« 



M. BOVER, a well-known and respected 
resident of .Scott Township, is a native 
Ji '\\ llawkeye, his birth taking place in Mah.aska 
^County, Aug. S, 1841. His father was Dr. 
Edmund Augustus Boyer, one of the pioneers of 
this count}', and a biography of whom appears else- 
I where in this volume. Our subject spent his early 
life at iKiine upon the farm, assisting his father in 
its care and cultivation. In .lune, 18G2, he left the 
plowing in the field to eidist in Co. E, .S3d Iowa 
\'ol. Inf., and served with that command in iiuiin-i- 
ous engagements u[) to Feb. 2',l, l.'^Gl, when he was 




i^t^^^IlIXILXlXXXLlttllllllll^XXllI 



>,Vj mmrrm 



irmi'tuiiiiLirnn 



jrTHTrnTXTt xiEmi i m ] 



Ib 



ilfe^ 



11 



m 








336 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 






itiiirrr;!- 

i 



11 



rlischarged for disability, having received serious 
injuries by a fall from a horse. 

After his discharge from the army Mr. Beyer re- 
turned to his home in Iowa, where he has since 
remained, with the exception of five years spent 
in Dakota, and now has the general management 
and control of the ample and highlj' improved es- 
tate of 900 acres, left Ijy his father upon his de- 
cease. He carries on the business of general farm- 
ing and stock-raising, and, like his father, is a man 
of general information upon nearly all subjects, 
and is a recognized authority in that section of the 
county, upon general topics, political and other- 
wise. 

Foliticallj^ Mr. Boyer is a stanch Greenbacker, 
and one of the liest posted men of that political 
faith in the county. .Sociallj' he is connected with 
the Masonic fraternity. 




#"# 



E 





MANUEL HITES, who is located upon 
section 12, Jefferson Township, though not 
an early settler of Mahaska County, may be 
classed among the pioneers of the State. He is a 
native of Jefferson County, Ohio, born in 181."), 
and is the son of George and Mar}' (Summerlock) 
Hites, the father a native of Mrginia and the 
mother of Pennsylvania. Emanuel was reared on 
a farm in his native State, educated in the common 
school, and thei-e resided until 1855, when he came 
to Iowa and located in Jiarion County, where he 
rented land for several years. He made his home 
in Marion County until 1868, in which year he came 
to Mahaska County, and settled on his present farm 
in Jefferson Township. 

In 1840 Mr. Hites was mairied to Miss Phcebe 
Netherow, a native of Pennsylvania, and a daugh- 
ter of Daniel and Elizabeth Netherow, also natives 
of that State. Her mother died in 1 868, aged sixt^'- 
eight years ; her father is still living, and has reached 
the advanced age of ninety-five years. Mr. and 
Mrs.' Hites are the parents of eleven children : 
Albert, born Nov. 27, 1841, during the Late war 
enlisted in Co. C, 7th Iowa Voi. Inf., was wounded 
at the battle of Belmont and died in hospital at 
Mound Cit}-, 111., from the effects of the wound ; 



John, born Aug. 1, 1S43, enlisted in the 7th Iowa 
Infantry and was wfiunded at the battle fif Corinth, 
from the effects of which he died ; Ann Elizabeth, 
born June 30, 1845, is now the wife of AVilliam 
Finle}', of Rollins Count}', Kan., who was also a 
soldier in the late war; David S., born Jan. 20, 
1847. is at home; Sarah Jane, born Nov. 25, 1848, 
became the wife of Andrew Patterson, of Ft. 
Scott, Kan.; Daniel A., born Oct. 23, 1850, is re- 
siding in Greenfield, Adair Co., Iowa, and serving 
as Clerk of the Courts; Leander, born Nov. 20, 
1852, is at home; George Andrew, born Oct. 21, 
1855, is at present engaged as a traveling insurance 
agent in Missouri; Valentine, born May 22, 1858, 
is at Shurtlcff College, Upper Alton. 111., preparing 
for the ministr}-; Thomas L., born April 10, 1861, 
is engaged in farming on the homestead ; AVilliam 
T., born Jan. 22, 1864, is a teacher and student at 
Shurtleff College. 

Mr. and ]Mrs. Hites are members of the Lutheran 
Church. In earlj- life Mr. Hites affiliated with 
the Whig party, but since the organization of the 
Republicans he has been an advocate of the princi- 
ples of that party. 

The home farm of our suliject consists of 230 
acres of land, all of which is under improvement. 
The father of Mr. Hites died in 1875, at the age of 
eight_y-on^, and his mother in 1877. 

^jK^.ATHAN ^^'. lirssEV. a lending farmer and 
|[ jj stock-raiser of Garfield Township, is a native 
li\J^, of the Buckeye State, having been born in 
Mt. Pleasant, Jefferson Countj% Nov. 18, 1831. 
He is a son of Penrose, born June 22, 1800, and 
Susan (Wood) Hussey. born Jan. 5, 1805. The}' 
were natives of Maryland, whence they emigrated 
when (juite young, with their parents, to Ohio, 
where they became acquainted, and were married 
Dec. 1, 1830. 

Christopher Hussey, the grandfather of Nathan 
W., was born July 23, 1767, and emigrated to 
Ohio, in about 1804, during the troublous times in 
the early settlement of that State, and formed at 
one time a part of the garrison in the old fort at 
Cincinnati. He enlisted as a soldier in the War of 



3N 

ill 

I'' 

li 



1} 



m 



m 



II 






ii 

I 

1 



5StS3 



1812, and served under the celebrated Commodore 
Perr}-. He married Miss Lydia Griibb. who was 
l)Orn Sept. 24, 1775. To them were born ten 
children, viz : Mary A., Penrose, Asahel, Anna G., 
John G., Curtis G., Eliza JI., Jane R.. Usther G. 
and Joseph G.. three of whom are living — Curtis, 
Jane and Esther. Grandfather Hussey lived a 
Christian, and died in the hope of a blessed im- 
mortalit}' Dec. 2^, 1851, at the ripe age of eightj-- 
five j'ears. His wife died Aug. 25. 1847, aged 
seventy-two years. Penrose Husse^', the father of 
our subject, was a tanner by trade and follc>wed that 
occupation for man^- )-ears, but afterward engaged ■ 
in agriculture. He was the father uf five children : 
Nathan W., of this county ; Isaiah IL, of Mt. Pleas- 
ant, Ohio; Milton J., of JIarshall County, Iowa; 
Lj'dia, wife of William G. Hubbard, of Columbus, 
Ohio, and JIargaret W., wife of Isaac K. Ratliff, of 
.Mt. Pleasant, Ohio, President and principal owner 
of a bank in that city. Penrose died Dec. 23, 
1872, at the age of seventj-three years. Susan 
died June 6, 1877, aged seventy-two years. The3' 
were members of the Society of Friends, rwued as 
such, and teuacioush' adhered to that faith all their 
lives. 

Nathan W., the eldest son of Penrose and Susan 
Hussey, was married May 30, 1835, at Mt. Pleasant, 
Ohio, to Miss Anne L., a daughter of Clark and 
Mary Terrell. She was born Dec. 18, 1832. Of 
this union there were twu children : Charles, born 
Jidy 30, 1857, and Lizzie, born April 7, 1861, 
and now the wife of Benjamin V. Shields, of 
Chicago, 111. In 1857 Nathan Hussey emigrated to 
Jasper County, Iowa, where he purchased land and 
improved a farm, residing there one year. In 1858 
he went to Minneapolis, Minn., and purchased land 
near that city, and there remained until 1862, when 
he came to Oskaloosa. He remained here onlj' a 
short time, and then returned to Ohio, wliere he 
purchased and drove to this county, a (lock of 
1,600 head of sheep. In 1864 he went to Mt. 
Plea.sant, Ohio, where he had charge of a woolen- 
mill, owned by his brother and Dr. Hussey. In 
1866 he was emplo^'ed b}' Dr. Curtis (J. Hussey to 
Uike charge of a gold mine in (Georgia. He spent 
two years there, and the mine jiroving a failure, 
he abandoned it and wt-nt ti> Kansas City, Mo. 



In 1870 he removed to Pittsburgh, Pa., where 
he became General .Superintendent of a smelting 
establishment in that city. In 1 875 he came back to 
Mahaska Countj', where he has since re.sided in (Jar- 
field Township. 

Mrs. Anne L. Hussey died at her home near 
Oskaloosa, July 20, 1886, at the age of fifty-three 
years, eight months and five days. She was a con- 
sistent member of the Friends' Society, and led the 
life of a blameless Christian woman. In her home 
she fulfilled the measure of a dutiful wife and 
mother, and her going leaves the shadow of a great 
sorrow over the entire household. The subject of 
this sketch is a most estimable man, prominent in 
the counsels of his church, a successful farmer, and 
a leading; and infiuential citizen. 



^ HANLEY J. LIKENS. M. D., o 
((( n •''^barou, is a native of Ohio, and wf 
^^ May 11, 1.S56. His parents, Jose 




HANLEY J. LIKENS. M. D., of New 

'as born 
(Seph and 

Araminta (Painter) Lukens, natives of Ohio, were 
united in marriage ill 18 1s, and removed to Iowa 
in 1862, settling on a farm near Newton, wliere 
they still reside. The early life of Dr. Lukens was 
spent as a farmer's boy. working hard during the 
summer months, and gaining a common-school ed- 
ucation in the winter. At the age of fifteen 3'ears 
he entered Hazel Dell Academy, at Newton, which 
he attended for two 3'ears, and then, on account of 
ill-health, took a vacation for one 3'ear. 

\i the age of eighteen years our subject beg;in 
the study of medicine with Dr. Perr^' Engel, of 
Newton, as preceptor, and remained with him until 
1878, and then entered the medical department of 
the Stiite University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, 
attending lectures for nine months, and in the 
spring of I 879 located at Peoria, Iowa, as a practic- 
ing ph^^sician. In the fall of 1880 he entered the 
Missouri Medical College at St. Louis, graduating 
from that instituti(jn March 2, 1881, and resumed 
liis practice .at Peoria, continuing there until the 
spring of ls,s3, when he removed to .Searsboro, 
Iowa, at which place he resided until Jan. 1, 1885, 
when he came to New Sharon. 

Dr. Lukens has been twi<'c married. The lirst 






1 1 



mm 

m 

n 



8 



i' 
I 



i 









l y t tic 









"I >*^***niiAi'T>^ 






iriliiaiiiiTTTriTrrr 



trTTTTri ii i xilnir rrxTtr'J 






Tinxiramimiij; , t^jj^f ,; 



3W 338 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



ill 



took place Oct. 16, IST'J, with Mi.ss Abbie K. Bar- 
ton, a daughter of C. C. and Ellen \. Baiton. Bj" 
this nni(^n there was one son, William Lester, born 
March 17, 1M«2. The niother of this child died 
,lan. 17, 188:3, and November 8 of the same year, 
the Doctor was again united in marriage, with Miss 
Kmm.i K. Wharton, a daughter of James and Mary 
AVharton. Shu was born in Mahaska County iMarch 
P^l 18, 1856. 

The Doctor takes no furtlier interest in |)olitics 
than to vote as his judgment dictates. He is a 
member of the Society of Friends. By giving his 
^ whole attention to his professional duties he liiis 
m gained a lucrative practice. He ranks well in the 
profession, is an untiring student, a genial, pleasant 
gentleman, whether iu the sick-room or among his 
friends, and is highly esteemed in his circle of ac- 
quaintances. 



*-*-^- 




W. PFOUTZ, a resident of Union Town- 
ship, is a native of Maryland, born Dec. (i, 
1849, and is a son of Peter and Sarah A. 
(Remer) Pfoutz, both natives of Mar3'laiid. The 
father was b(jrn in the year 181.5, and the mother in 
and were the parents of three cliildren, as 
follows: Anna S., who died .Tan. 8, 1877; Esther 
^M' ^^' '* now the wife of L. W. Graham, and resides in 
this township; George W., our subject. 

George W. Pfoutz was united in marriage. May 
13, 1884, with Miss .Tustina Miller, a native of 
Ohio, born Feb. 13, 18.56, and a daughter of 
Stephen T. and Elizabeth (Harris) Miller, the father 
a native of Pennsylvania and the mother of Mary- 
land. By this marriage tliere has been one child — 
Frank E. 

Mr. Pfoutz owns eighty acres nf laud lying in 
Adams Township, but at the present time is residing 
„'g"" n with his parents, who are quite aged people, and is 
" assisting them in the management and cultivation 
of the home farm of 170 acres. In his political 
afliliatious he is a member of the Republican party. 
Mr. Pfoutz is engaged in raising thor(.)ughbred Short- 
iJlfi^ horn cattle, in which lie is meeting with success. He 
is a man of industry and energy, of good ability in 



I 

mi 



ffl ^ft 




ffr'.n'HHPW 



a quiet way, and possessing an excellent general 
knowledge of current events and tupics, and iscoui- 
mended for his manj' e-\celleut qualities that stamp 
him as a desirable citizen, friend aud ncigiilHir. 

v^. IVILLIAM STEWART, of Adams Townsliij), 
\/iJ// ^^^^ oldest of the living children of .John 
W^ and Martha Stewart (whose sketch see 
elsewhere), was born in .Tohnsou Count3', Ind., June 
28, 1838. He came with his parents to Iowa iu 
1844, and has since been a resident of this county. 
During his earlier life, he assisted his father in the 
various mills of which he had charge, and received 
such education as was afforded by the better class 
of district schools. In the year 1860 he united in 
marriage with Prudence J. Ruby, a daughter of 
Andrew and Ibbie (Withrow) Ruby. She was born 
in Ripley Count}', Ind., July 27, 1841. After mar- 
riage he followed farming in Adams Township un- 
til the year 1880, and then sold out his possessions 
and occupied rented land, and is at present located 
on the estate of Hardin Tice, deceased, which con- 
tains 320 acres. Mr. and Mrs. Stewart are the par- 
ents of fourteen children: Robert A., Fred H. and 
Martha Ibba died in infancy, and one daughter, 
Harriet, died in her eighteenth year. The ten liv- 
ing children are: William F., John A., Albert W. 
and Alfred W., twins, Etta J., James H., David S., 
Harr3' O., Ralph Waldo, and Mar}- Ann. 

Mr. Stewart is a member of the Masonic frater- 
nity. In his political relations he is a Republican. 
His first presidential vote was in the year 1860, and 
cast for Stephen A. Douglas, but since that time 
Mr. Stewart has ever been a stanch supporter of 
the Republican i)arty. He has served five j'eai-s as 
:i member of the Count}' Board of Supervisors, do- 
ing the thankless work incident to the office in a 
manner highly creditable to himself and for the 
best interests of the people. He has held all the 
various township and school offices, save those of 
Justice of the Peace and Constable. He is a very 
enterprising citizen and has always been ready t<> 
assist any worthy enterprise having for its object 
the advancement of the general good of the people, 
and was a very liberal contri))ut()r to the subscrip- 



: W 



S-ili 



M 



K -.1 

::fi 
:. J 

5=1 

:;i 
:=i 

•-■ n 



I y^Tr^ m m rTj jTTZjtTxxxim h 



r\i'Hi 



iiSg &cTSii i 



^JrtxirSrl^ -rfrirrxjI UrTTtrmnTrTrtil n i i Tl 



l.<'.>a j-'r'i^ r^r' nU:l.-XCJ;cLc-. 



^S" 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



339 



I > 
I ■: 



tion that procured the building of the Central lowji 
Hailrund through this count3'. 

Mr. .Stewart is a man of more than average abil- 
it}-, a great reader and thinker, and unusually well 
posted upon the current topics, and is able to ex- 
press himself upon all subjects in a clear and forci- 
ble manner. He is one of the wheel-horses of the 
political [larty of which he is a meniber,'_and when 
ever he chooses to exercise it is a man of great in- 
fluence in its councils. 

l^ersonally and socially Mr. S. is a courteous and 
agreeable gentleman, the hospitality of whose home 
is as generous as the perfume of flowers in May. 
Because of his manj- manly qualities he commands 
the high regard of a large circle of. acquaintances 
and friends. 




'DAM McDonald, i)roprietorof 309 acres 
of valuable land in Adams Township, was 
born in Harrison County, Ohio, Feb. 13, 
(j^ 1822, and is a son of John and Mary 

(Hoagland) McDonald. He resided in his native 
State until 1.S5G, and then came into Iowa with his 
family, arriving December 13 of that year. He 
located in Mahaska County and purchased his pres- 
ent farm in Adams Township, uiion which he has 
since ci^ntiuiiously resided. 

.Mr. McDonald was married, Nov. lo, 1841, to 

Miss Mary Conaga. a native of Oiiio, born Sept. 

I'J, 182.1, and the daughter of .Jacob and Susan 

(Livingston) Conaga. The issue of this marriage 

has been thirteen children, as follows: Kdward, 

born in 1S12; Amanda, Aug. 2, 1813; Susan, 

born July 19, 1845, is the wife of Heul)cn (^uick, 

of Prairie Township; Enoch C, born Sept. 10, 

1848, lives in Jefferson County, Ohio; Marcey, 

born March 19, 1850, became Mrs. \'an McConili, 

j and lives in Scott Township; .John, l)orn March I 1, 

1 1852, resides in this township; Elizabeth, born Jan. 

I 7, 1854; Emeline, born Nov. 30, 1855, is the wife 

; of John ^Vhite, of Cass County, Iowa ; Sarah E., 

I boru Jan. 10, 1858; Thomas J., Feb. Hi, 18C0; 

i Louie, born Sept. 22, 18G4, is the wife of Ileurv 

; lloldfer, of Jiisper Count}' ; William S., born .Ian. 

i 19, I«(;G; Cora, Feb. 24. 18(;il. 

I The home farm of our subject is in a high slate 



of cidtivatiou. with the best cl.ass of improvements. 
Mr. McDonald in the m.anagement of his affairs 
displaj-s much more than aver.age abilit}' and sound 
judgment. He is a citizen of the first class, a most 
iionorable man, and one of strict integrity, stan<l- 
ing high in the esteem and confidence of his fellow- 
citizens. Politically Mr. McDonald is an .ardent 
Republican. 





\w=Ti M. WYMORE, of Monroe Township, is tiie 
U^^ son of William II. and Ruth (Snook) Wy- 
i more, and was born in I';uke County, Ind., 

Sept. 11, 1825. He came to Iowa in 1845, located 
in Mahaska County, and [uircliascd eighty acres of 
land in Monroe Township. His farm is all under 
cultivation, and is well improved. July 15. 1 856, he 
was married to Miss Matilda .1. Parr. They are the 
parents of seven children, as follows: Eva J. died 
Dec. 6, 1886; .Tosephine is the wife of Willis Will- 
hoite, and lives in Adams Township; Noah, Will- 
iam, Anna, Charles and Etta reside at home. Our 
subject's father and mother are both deceased, an(l 
buried in Monroe Town^sliii). in what is known as 
the Wymore Cemetery. 

Mr. Wymore's political affiliations are willi the 
Republican i)arty. lie enjoys a fairsiiare of pros- 
l)erity, and is in all respects an estimable citizen, 
enjoying the high regard of friends and neighbors, 
and the confidence and esteem of ac(piaintances 
"encrally. 



UGUSTUS C. DOZE, of Union Township, 
is a native of France. He was l>orn .lul\• 
12, 1823. and is a son of John C. and Mar}- 
(Bai'bara) Doze, natives of France, who 
were there married. The subject of this sketch, 
Augustus C. Doze, emigrated with his parents in the 
year 1858 to America, came at once to this county 
and settled in Union Township with them. His father 
died in the year 1862, and his mother in the year 
1865. In the year 1850 Mr. Doze was united in 
marriage to Miss Elizabeth Bass, a native of Indi- 
ana, and tiie daughter of William :nid .Margaret 
Ba.ss. IjV thi> union there ii;ive been seven ehil- 



I I 



1 1 TTintnxxxn5ixir 



*?<I^^^^M^MJT7* 




^ niT ^llIiii ^^tii »irT* ' ' f ^ "^ ' ' I 



rti r riiiT i x mrixxirrxr rxxj 



340 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 




I 



flrenborn: Martha is the wife of John H. Har- 
bour of this count}- : Mary K. is at home ; Marga- 
ret is the wife of Frank P\iuquier, and resides in 
this county; John ^V., Lizzie. Robert and F;stella 
are at home. Upon coming to this county Mr. 
Doze entered iOO acres of land, sold it, .and then 
purchased his present home farm of 240 acres. 
Thi.s is in a very high state of cultivation and .all 
improvements are of the best class. He engages 
i in mixed farming and stock-raising, and has been 
i/ very successful in lioth brandies of his business, 
il He is a No. i citizen in all respects, and one 
who enjoys fully the confidence and regard of an 




T Q extended circle of friends and acquaintances. He 
psTil is a man of unusual energy and great force of char- 
illfjl acter, is possessed of more than ordinary ability 
jH i) and thoroughly posted in the topics of the tirae.s. 
i;: iji lu his political relations he is a member of the 
1^1 National Greenback party, and a leading and in- 
fluential mend)er of th.at organization. 



R. .JOHN H. FRY, of I'nion Township, is a 
son of Joseph and Permelia Fry, the 
former a native of Maryland, and the lat- 
ter of Irish descent. He w.as born in Har- 
jjlj rison County, Ohio, Sept. 20, lfS2;3. He came to 
Iowa in the year IS.oO, and settled in Union Town- 
ship. Dec. 28, 184:"), he was married to Miss Cath- 
erine M. Carter, a native of Pennsjlvania. born 
Dec. 9, 1828. They are the parents of fourteen 
children: Cora J. is the wife of J. M. Klinker, of 
Nebraska; Mary L. is the wife of AVesley Klinker. 
of this township; John S. lives in Nebraska; Joseph 
W.. in Union Town.ship; Cassie and Lucy arc at 
home; Robert M. resides in Nebraska; Addison E., 
Je.ssie II., Paul T. and Edna D. are at home; Anna 
E. is the wife of A. D. Kenyon, and lives in Ne- 
braska. The Doctor first liegan the study of medi- 
cine in the year 1844, with Dr. T. J. Roman*, of 
Millwood, Harrison Co., Ohio. He has been a 




^Sg^a practicing physician for fort3'-two years, and in this 
county for thirty-flve years. During the late war 
he enlisted as a private soldier in the 47th Iowa 
Infantry, and was appointed hy Gov. .Stone Assist- 
\ i- 




ant Surgeon of the regiment, and was assigned as 
.Snrgeon in charge of the general hospital at Helena, 
Ark. He still continues the practice of nicdicine. 
The Doctor is an ardent Republican, and repre- 
sented this county in the Legislature in the year 
185(3. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, 
and himself and wife are members of the Methodist 
Episcopal Cliurch. His home farm consists of 29.i 
acres of fine land, in a high state of cultivation and 
well improved. In every respect the Doctor bears 
a most estimable character, and is a citizen whose 
character is above reproach, and enjoys the high 
regard and esteem of a large circle of friends and 
acquaintances. 



<!— 



-^^^^^^ 



-<3- 






u 




5 \V. SPRAGUE, of Garfield Townshii), is a 



.lonathan and Susan (Lynch) Sprague, who 
were natives of Wheeling, W. Va. Jonathan 
Sprague was a farmer all his life, and was a soldier 
in the Mexican War. His ancestors were natives of 
England. He died Jan. 20, 188,t; his wife's 
death occurred Aug. 13, 1883, at the age of sev- 
enty-eight years. The subject of our sketch came 
to this county in 1808, and settled in Des Moines 
Township, where he lived thirteen years, removing 
to his present location in September, 1881. He 
served the people ot Des Moines Township one 
term as Township Trustee, and has been School 
Treasurer of Garfield Township for three terms. 

Mr. Sprague was married in 18G4 to Miss Sarah 
M. Sprague. They are the parents of five children 
— Oscar, Osraer, Arthur, Asa and \'esta. His jires- 
ent farm consists of 120 acres of land, all im- 
proved, upon which there has been sunk a prospect 
shaft, which shows near a five-foot-eight-inch vein 
of coal, of the best quality and resembling anthra- 
cite. 

Mr. Sprague was reared a farmer, began life as a 
poor boy, and has .accumulated his present posses- 
sions by his own industry, good management, pru- 
dence and economy. He is a general farmer, but 
in the spring of 188.') turned his attention to the 
breeding of Pohmd-Chiua hogs, making his fii>t 
purchase from the celebr.ated herd of A. C. Moore, 



::ri 

■a 




: 'L 

i'-.w 

3:1 

Ri-71 
:^i 



Jr-'-i-'ildr-'.ria 



Irn 

■ 

1 
1 



f. : 



of Canton, 111. He now has a honl of ten thor- 
oughbred animals, anil intends to continue tiie linsi- 
ness. He is also the owner of a thoroughl)ie<] Dur- 
ham bull. Mr. .Sprague is a successful farmer and 
enjoj's a reasonable degree of prosijeritv as a result 
of the intelligent direction and management of his 
affairs, and himself and wife enjoy the confidence 
and esteem of their friends and acquaintances. Mr. 
Sprague is now turning his attention to the dairy 
business, running at present one wagon, and sup- 
plj'ing Excelsior with milk e.ach da_y. 






m 



il 

vs. 

l> 

l=S 

i-n 
i;s 
v:: 
vs. 



]OHN (i. JjYTLE, a leading farmer and stock- 
grower of White Oak Township, w.-is born 
in Garfield Township, this county, April 2, 
1HG2, and is the sou of ,Iohn i^. and Rebecca 
(Dawson) Lytle. His father was born in Ohio, and 
came to Oskaloosa about the year 1849. He was 
a carpenter and builder by trade. He w:is a man 
of genuine merit, and took an active part in the 
sujiport of all enterprises, which, in his judgment, 
would tend to advance the general welfare of the 
people with whom he was associated. In a word, 
his [jrincipal aim in life seemed to be that which 
Would result in the greatest good to the greatest 
number. 

During the late war Mr. Lytle enlisted, Aug. 12, 
1»01, in Co. 11, 8th Iowa \'ol. Inf., and was elected 
Third Sergeant of his company. He was promoted 
.Second .Sergeant Nov. 1, 1861, Sergeant Major of 
the regiment in March, 1862, and Second Lieuten- 
ant April 4, 1863. During the battle of Shiloh, 
April 6, 1802, he was captured by the rebels and 
held a prisoner six months. After returning to 
his regiment, he was promoted First Lieutenant of 
his companj, .July 26, 1864, and January 7 follow- 
ing, was commissioned Captain. On .Sept. 1, 186.'), 
he was discharged for disability incurred in the 
service, and came to his home in Oskaloosa, where 
he died Nov. 20, 186,'). 

Perhaps the greatest tribute of respect to the 
memory of .Tohn S. Lytle is this: He was not really 
able, physically, to endure the hardships and priva- 
tions of soldier life in camp and field, yet the life 
of the nation was thi-eatened, ami he stopped only 



to consider that, and without hesitation offered 
himself as a .sacrifice, to do what he could for his 
country, lie staj'ed with his command most hero- 
ically during all its eventful career, until the close 
of the struggle in 186;'), returning home to die just 
as the white-winged messengei' of peace had spre;iii 
its wings again over the land. 

The subject of this sketch, ,Iohn (1. Ljtle, was 
married, Feb. 12, 188,5, to Miss Lilian G. .lohnson, 
who was born Feb. 12, 186i5, in (iarfield Township, 
this county, and is the daughter of W. L. and Abi- 
gail (Coffin) .lohnson, now- residing in the town- 
ship of her bii'tli, and i)ursuing the occujjation of 
farming, llei- father was a native of Ohio, and 
her mother of Indiana. Mr. and Mrs. Lj'tle are 
the i)arents of one child, Elmer .\bor, born .Sept. 
21. 188.5. 

roliticallj- Mr. Lytle is a Republican. He is en- 
gaged in general farming and stock-raising, and 
his care of the buildings, fences and other appur- 
tenances of the farm, the manner in which he cares 
for the stock, puts in a crop and tends it, and, in 
fact, his neat and business-like way of doing everj'- 
thing, stamp him as a young man of more than 
ordinary ability. 



ij 



->«fl£2;r§^-^- 



^^^1 — »®fS.ZJ2ra»v 




^fP^.EL'BEN REDMAN, a wealthy and highly 
b:^ esteemed resident of Scott Township, was 
'^\ born in Columbiana County, Ohio, in 1837, 
'^^ being a son of Joseph and Margaretta 
(.Miller) Reflman. who were natives of Pennsyl- 
vania, but went to Ohio in 1806, with their parents. 
Joseph Redman was born in 1799, and his wife in 
1804. He engaged in farming, which occupation 
he pursued until his death, which occurred while 
on a visit to Michigan, in December, 1878; his 
wife had died in .May of the same year, at her 
home in Ohio. IJoth were members of the Luth- 
eran Church. 

Reuben Redman canu' to this county in 1863, 
and settled in .Scott Township. In companj' with 
two other men he brought with him from Ohio 
1,200 head of sheep, which he herded on the va- 
cant lauds of the county. The next year he brought 



:gni«»»ii»TAinj r^,.i.A3j 



rxxxrxrxtxx jru iptjiru-i- ^^tRTryj ■ tirixtujiixtxxixijurxuxxu/ 









n 






M 
m 

Hi 



rt^t 




■ rTTTrrrrr 






i x» :i m . i nj[j^ «xrKrx fxxi riijij- 



342 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



1 r- 

1:^ 



out from Ohio :^,300 more slieep. The partnership 
continued until the fall of 1S{J."), when it was dis- 
solved, leaving Mr. Redman with 1,100 head. He 
contiTiued in business alone until some time during 
the year 18G0, when he sold part of his herd of 
sheep and bought a tract of land on section 2 of 
this township, and which now is one of the most 
finely improved farms in the county. Here is an 
elegant residence, built at a cost of $2,000, three 
ample barns, and numerous cattle sheds, his busi- 
ness having been princi|)ally that of raising, feed- 
ing and shipping cattle and hogs. He is also quite 
extensively engaged in the raising of fine stock, 
and has several high-grade Norman and Clyde 
colts, and two full-blooded French Norman horses, 
imported by Springer Sz AVillard, of Oskaloosa, in 
188o. He is also a breeder of Short-horn cattle, 
and has alread3' fifteen head of fine thoroughbred 
animals in his herd, most of them selections from 
the tine herd of M. K. Prine & Son, of this county. 
It is his intention to continue this business in a 
moderate w.ay, and to have none but the best breeds 
of animals. Mr. Redman takes a lively interest in 
tlie success of the INIahaska County Fair, of which 
he is a stockholder and Director. 

The subject of our sketch was married, in Feb- 
ruarj-, 1866, to Miss Mary F. Elson, a native of 
Stark County, Ohio, who was a daughter of Rich- 
ard and Sarah Ann (Brandon) Elson, natives of 
Virginia, the father born in 17!)7, and the mother 
in 1806. Richard Elson w.as in early days engaged 
in shipping merchandise bj- tiatboat from Ohio to 
New Orleans, and in this business accumulated 
quite a fortune. He located in Ohio, on Big Sandy 
Creek, where he built a fine flouriug-niill, and en- 
gaged extensively in sheep-raising. By prudent 
management of his two branches of business he 
added materially to his already ample fortune. He 
died at his home in Magnolia, Ohio, Aug. 28, 1879, 
.iged eightj'-two years. His wife, a member of the 
Christian Church, died March 21, 18-tO. 

Mr. and Mrs. Reuben Redman have four chil- 
dren living and one deceased: Richard Elson, born 
Dec. 8, 1866. is a graduate of Oskaloosa Business 
College; Joseph C. was born Nov. 20, 1.S70; .Mary 
K., April 26, 1,S73; Benjamin F., Sept. 26, 1876; 
Sarah, born Aug. 26, 1879, died Aug. 16, 1881. 



Mr. and Mrs. Redman are prominent members of ? 
the Presbyterian Church. Politically our subject i 
is a Republican. He owns over 800 acres of land, ! 
the home farm being under the highest state of i 
cultivation. Its proprietor farms with his brain :_ 
as well as his hands, and is supplied with all the gi 
modern conveniences necessary to enable him to ! 
conduct his operations thoroughly and systematic- ; 
ally. 



m 



' u 



■^ AMES T. DARLAND, of Adams Township, t 
was born in W.arren County, 111., Sept. 28, ; 
1851. He came to Iowa with his parents in ; [J 
1861, and settled in Poweshiek County, ■;? 
where his father bought a farm of 200 acres, resided : n 
upon and cultivated it for live years, and then came f k 
to Mahaska Countj% locating in Adams Township. 5 a 

The subject of this sketch was married, Nov. ; (i 
19, 1871, to Miss Delcena Anderson, and by this 541 
union there have been born seven children: Freddy, :;h 
deceased; Lizzie M., Elva I., William M.; Victor, 3!n 
deceased, Sj'lvia and Eva. 3|i 

Mr. Darland resides with his famil3- upon his j-n 
father's farm of 160 acres. He is a member of 5 R 
the Farmer's Alliance, and in his political relations Jii 
a Republican, and has held the offices of Constable §li 
and Road Supervisor. Himself and wife are mem- |;i 
bers of the Christian Church. Mr. Darland is a §!' 
gentleman of intelligence and large general infor- Iji 
mation, well posted on all current topics, and able |;i 
to express himself in a forcible manner upon all|;i 
debatable questions. In business affairs he is an g i 
excellent manager, and is fairly successful. Per- I-:' 
sonally and socially, he is highl3' esteemed by his Ej 
friends and neighbors. 



— ,3»»^ ^j»(^^;,-^,^5^-» 



OHN D. DAVIS, one of the leading farmers Mi 
of Adams Township, is the son of Notley *; 



k 



W. Va., April 8, 1814. He 



removed with ;;h 






his p.irents to Ohio in 1829, and there remained £^h 

until 1869, when he came to Iowa and settled in Ma- fn 

e - ' 
haska County. :-:i 

" ■; 1 
On the 23d of December, 1841, Mr. Davis wasi^i 

3 J _ 




^1 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



343 ,S(ti; 



united in marriage with Mis;^ .lane Harnes, a native 
of West Viruinia. born in 1S17. Tiiey became the 
parents of seven children, of whom record i.s made 
as follows: Milton was born Oct. A, 1«42, and be- 
came a soldier in the 27th Ohio Infantry, serving 
four years, from July, 18G1, to .Tuly, IHOo; Lean- 
der, born Jan. 11, 184.5, was in the 100-days' service 
in the late war, and now resides in Illinois ; Charles 
L., born Oct. 18, 1848, is a resident of Adams 
Township; Sheldon is deceased; Nettie was born 
Dec. 30, IBAC); M.atilda, June 17, 1800, and one 
child died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Davis are 
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and 
our subject is identified with the Republican party. 
The home farm consists of 159 acres of excellent 
land, in good cultivation and splendidlj- improved. 
Mr. Davis has been fairl}- successful in his ]iresent 
occupation, and has shown rare judjiinent and good 
management in his business and farming operations. 
In the various relations of life he sustains the char- 
acter of an estimable citizen, neighbor ami friend, 
and enjoys the full confidence and regard of those 
who know liini. 



••o*o-@JAkA^-.o«o.. 



ik^ RS. ELIZABETH DORNAN. of Jefferson 
Township, was born in the State of Indi- 
1* ana, Feb. 18, 1834, and is the (laughter of 
William Y. and Sarah (Adams) .Mot>re. 
Her mother was born in Kentucky and her father 
inCJcorgia. Ivlizabeth w\>is the third of ten chil- 
dren. In the year 1860. she was married to Hugh 
Dornan, a native of Ireland, born May 12, 1819, 
and came to this country in the year 184.'). Hy 
this union there were eight children : William, b(>rn 
Feb. 18, isdl, lives in Boone County, Iowa; 
Thomas, born June 3, 18(;2, lives in Nebraska; 
John, born .July 19, 1864, is at home: .\;uiin. born 
Jan. 1, 18()7, is in Nebraska: Mary .1., Ijorn July 
•28, 1868, died Sept. 9, 1884; S.araii E., born Jan. 
6, 1870; Kdward, July 1.'., 1871. anil Elizabeth, 
July 10, 1876, are at home. 

The father of these children died Aug. 7. 1883, 
"if cancer in the face. A great deal of time and 
money was spent in an effort to cure -Mr. Durnan, 



and the ablest physicians of the country were con- 
sulted, among whom we may mention Dr. Bishop, 
of St. Joseph, Mo., a 11.1 Dr. 1). F. McMillan, of 
Oskaloosa. But human skill could not save him. 
and lie fell a prey to that loathsome disease. 

Mr. Dornan was a devout member of the Roman 
Catholic Church ; his widow is a member of the i 
Christian Church. The home farm, which she now 
occupies, consists of 198 acres of good land, finely 
cultivated and well imiiroved. Mrs. Dornan is a 
lady possessing many excellent and noble traits of 
character, and is highly esteemed by friends and 
neighbors. 

*^— «- — i>.a«S-^ffi|>^>o 4— f<> 

FREE MAN EV EEAND, one of the enter- 
prising and intelligent farmers of Mahaska 





lOCrrrrnini 



m 



\">'m 



County, resides upon section 10, Jefferson 
Township. He is a native born Hawkeye, first 
seeing the light of day in the county of Muscatine, 
July 16, 1848, being the sou of John and Mary 
(Phillips) Eveland. (See sketch of John F^veland.) 
When but six years of age Freeman came with 
his parents to Mahasi^a County, where he has since 
continued to reside. He was reared upon a farm, 
educated in the district schools of Jefferstm Town- 
ship, and remained at home with his parents until 
1874, with the exception of two years spent in 
rtah and Nevada and ime year in Colorado. He 
then rented eighty acres of laud uijon section 10, 
Jefferson Township, belonging to his father, on 
which he moved and continued to cultivate as a 
renter until l)-i79, at which time his father deeded 
him the lain!. In 1880 he purchased eightj- acres 
adjoining. an<l is luiw the owner of 160 acres of 
land, all under good cultivation. 

.Mr. Kveland was married, March 26, 188o, to 
.Miss Lydia St anley, a native of Indiana, and the 
(biughter of Thomas and Hepsibah (Mace) .Stan- 
ley, the father a native of Ohio and the mother of 
Indiana. Thej' have one child, a daughter, Dell, 
lioru March 24, 1886. 

In his farming operations, Mr. Kveland makes a 
specialty of raising hogs and a few cattle for the 
market. In politics he at i)re.scnl attiliates with the 
Cireenback party, and is now serving his eighth 
year as Justice of the Peace. Before his election 



■ luzxtxxjxg 



i i7(*X7r.J ^'J-»OJ^^Jg«xrixijju i rxx» ijxr ^/■J*qr3rrzt«ij'xxxTT ri,txx3 jjucjLijr^^ 



3XXIXCZXXX I 



I iTt rfrKKTxzzir 






»"T¥m| ITXTTTyiTfTi '- ' 



jjiriixrxxrniiiiixxurttmii 






I 



344 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



to this office he served some years as Constable. 
Ill ISi;;) he went to \V_yomiiig and Utah Territories 
and engaged in rnilroading and himbering, and also 
in raining, for ;iln)nt ten months, in Nevada. He 
then retnrned lionie and remained two years, and 
then went to Colorado and spent one year, en- 
gaged in hauling freight from the mountains to the 
plains. In 187(i he visited tlie Centennial Exposi- 
tion at Philadelphia, taking in upon the trip the 
cities of Chicago, Detroit, Buffalo, Niagara Falls, 
Albany, New York, Washington, Baltimore and 
Indianapolis. Mrs. Eveland is a lady of good ed- 
ucation, and has been a teacher in the public 
schools of Mahaska Count}' fifteen terms. She 
is a member of the Society of Friends. 





^^ASPER DRURY, of Union Township, was 
III born in Baden, Germany, in 1832, emigrated 

^^if' to this country in the year 1852, and made 
his first location in Lincoln Count}', Ohio, remain- 
ing there one year, then removed to .Tefferson 
County, and worked on a farm for his uncle, Ray- 
mond Drury, for two years; from there went to 
Harrison County and engaged in farm work for one 
George Gott eighteen months, then came to this 
county and went to work for Samuel McMasters, 
continuing with him for fourteen months, and with 
Charles Gossage for eighteen months, and remov- 
ing to Montezuma, engaged with John Myers for 
one year, after which he located on his present 
farm in the year 1862. 

During that 3'ear he was united in marriage with 
Miss Tacey Snyder, after which five children were 
born to them : Andrew, John and Mar}' ai-e at 
home ; Lemuel and an infant unnamed are deceased. 
His wife died in the year 1870, and in 1876 he 
chose as his second wife Miss Sarah Sumner. 
There have been two children by this marriage, 
Clyde and Anna Bell, the latter deceased. Mr. 
Drury is a Democrat, and has voted that ticket 
since the first. His home farm consists of 107 
acres of excellent land, all in a high state of culti- 
vation and well improved, His early life was one 
of toil, struggle and privation, but he possesses in 



a great degree the pluck and energy of his race. 

and has made a success where men would ordinarily 5 .l 

be discouraged. Industry, honesty and economy ; 

have conduced to bring about this most desirable 5 

g. 
result. The neighbors, friends and acquaintances |; 

generally, esteem Mr. Drury as a first-class citizen, gi 



^'WAy -'>*j2j£i2?©^^§^ 



■^>"-^-aW3^'»^ -w-o- 



jjp^ AMUEL MIDDOUR, of Oskaloosa, was 
^^^ born in Franklin County, Pa., March 30, |]; 
Wv_M 183S). There he grew to manhood, receiv- 
ing his education in the common schools of 
his native county. When he was seventeen years 
of age he was apprenticed to the trade of tanner 
and currier, receiving for his first year's wages onl}- 
his board. Upon the completion of his apprentice- 
shij) he worked as a journeyman for a number of 
years, and later on engaged in business for himself. 
At the time of Lee's raid in Pennsylvania, when the 
battle of Gettysburg was fought, the rebels took 
from him all his stock, wagons and liarness, and, in 
fact, cleaned him out. Having lost everything he 
concluded to come west, which he did, locating in 
Mt. Morris, Ogle Co., 111., where for a number of 
years he was engaged in the business of raising, bu}- 
ing and selling stock. In 1880 he came to Oska- 
loosa, leaving his family at the old home. In 1882 
he brought his family to this city, where he em- 
barked in his present business, which is the tanning 
of whang leather and the manufacture of gloves 
from skins tanned by a process peculiarly his own. 
Mr. Middour was married in Ogle County, 111., 
to Miss Hattie A. Little, a daughter of William 
Little, of Frederick City, ^Id. By this union 
there are three children — Eldridge W., Lidu and 
Mina Marie. Mr. and Mrs. Jliddour are members 
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. He was orig- 
inally an old-line Whig, but has otflciated with the 
Republican party since its organization. His par- 
ents were Jacob and Barbara (Hess) Middour, who 
were farmers and natives of Pennsylvania. They 
were members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, 
and raised a family of six sons and two daughters — 
John, Jacob, George, .Joseph, Samuel, Catherine, fi 
Elizabeth and David, all now living at the old home 



St 11 

^a^^^^ '^1 









1 



I 




uisR 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



345 



131 



in Fraukliii Count}', Pa., with the exception of Sam- 
uel. Mr. Middour is a quiet, unostentatious citi- 
zen, devoted to the interests of his business, and an 
indefatigable worker, and to his efforts alone is due 
the success that has been attained by the Oslialoosa 
Tanning Company, of wliose business lie is Super- 
intendent. 



eHARLES T. BOWEN, druggist, established 
his business at New Sliaron in liS77. lie was 
born in Sharon, Pa., April 15, 1855, and is 
a son of Thomas and Sarah (Hopkins) Bowen, who 
were natives of Wales, and came to this country 
about 18.J1), settling at Sharon, Pa., where they re- 
sided until 18(35, and then came to Iowa, locating at 
Beacon, in this county, and engaged in mining. The 
father died there in 1807. and the mother in July, 
1877. There were fourteen children in the family, 
seven of whom are living: Ann is the wife of 
Stephen Fellows, and resides in Van Buren County, 
Iowa; .lohn W. lives at Lincoln, Neb.; Charles T. 
is the subject of this sketch ; Mary is the wife of 
Thomas Jenkins, and lives in this county; Eddie 
lives at New Sharon ; Winnie is the wife of Ed 
Marriott, and resides in Van Buren County; Lizzie 
is the wife of James Campbell, and lives at Deep 
River, Poweshiek Co., Iowa. 

The subject of this sketch, Charles T. Bowen, 
grew to manhood at Beacon, and followed the oc- 
cupation of mining there and at other places until 
1868, when he entered a general store at Beacon 
as clerk, and served nearly' three years. He had 
never attended school up to that time, and when 
he began clerking could neither read nor write, but 
he applied himself closely, and at the expiration of 
six months could do both quite well, and his salary 
was advanced to $45 per month. Retiring from 
that store he resumed work in the mines until 1872, 
when he was engaged as clerk in a drug-store at 
Beacon, and afterward in the same business at Mu- 
chachinock. In 1877 he came to New Sharon, and 
established his present business. Having but little 
capital, he began business on a very limited .scale, 
but proving liimself a live business man, and one 
who understood the details thoroughh*, his business 
increased rapidh', and in a few years he wiis doing 



a leading drug business of the town, which he con- 
tinues at the present time, and carries a large and 
well-selected stock of goods. 

Mr. Bowen was married, April ;jO, 1879, to Miss 
Jennie C. Wood, daughter of J. M. and Margerett 
Wood, and b}' this union there .are two children, 
Grade and Jennie. From a small beginning Mr. 
Bowen has made a large success fin.-uicially, and this 
too in the face of dilliciilties which vvould have dis- 
cour.aged most men. His education has been en- 
tirely the result of untiring stud}' on his part after 
reaching the age of manhood. He has developed 
a line business capacity, and understands the art 
of making money, as well as saving it. He is the 
owner of a pleasant home in New Sharon, and also 
of a section of land in Davidson County, Dak. 




^s^^^m^^ 




■.i\ 






IRA^I BEAL is a resident on section 15, 
Prairie Township. He was born in Fayette 
County, Pa., July 3, I si, '5, and is a sou of 
Nicholas and Mary (Pearsol) Beal, also 
natives of Pennsylvania. In 1823 the famih' re- 
moved to Guernsey County, Ohio, where our sub- 
ject grew to manhood, and in the year 1833 
married Miss Jerusha McDonald, a native of 
Fayette County, Pa. To them were born seven 
children: Rachel is the wife of G. W. Akers, of 
Pleasant (irove Township; Nicholas lives in this 
township; William and S. R. are in Madison 
County, Neb.; Eluia is the wife of Robert Mitchell, 
of Madison Township; Naomi is the wife of James 
Fisher, of Prairie Township ; Hiram A. resides in 
Prairie Townshiji. The mother of these children 
died in August, 1884, and in January, 1885, Mr. 
Beal was married to Mary Osboru, a native of 
Jersey County, 111. 

The subject of this sketch followeil the occupa- 
tion of farming in Ohio until 1849, and then re- 
moved to Blackford County, Ind., and in 1852 to 
Henderson County, 111., whence, in 1855, he came 
to Mahaska County. His first purchase was 1 60 
acres of land on section 30, Prairie Township, upon 
which he resided until 1870, disposing of the same 
to Hugh Cathcart, and removing to New Sh.aron, 
where he resided three years. His next i)urchase 




mt jTxrtt rKtrxxxrMZ.»zXLX 




:xnrr"ra 



mmxxxiixixsnx tx xrn rxrx; r 



1 1 XU JXX.X UXUI X.I_1_1 1 X( LlXl I ' 



ri~x-ixxTiiizrxiu:xicT~ 



346 



MAHAtSKA COUNTY. 





was the southwest quarter of section 8. which he 
resided ujjon eleven years, liruught to a high state 
of cultivation, and then sold it for $8,000, settling 
upon his present farm, whicii is in a good state of 
cultivation, with buildings scarcely excelled in the 
township. He also owns 240 acres of land in 
Madison County, Ncl). 

In his political attiliations Mr. Heal is a Demo- 
crat, and lias held all the principal ofHces of his 
townshi|). such as Trustee, A,ssessor and School 
Director. During his residence in Prairie Town- 
ship .Mr. Beal has bought and sold a great deal of 
land and has no donbt owned at different periods 
more land than any other man in the township. 
Upon all his various properties he has invariably 
put the best class of improvements, and they ai'e a 
standing testimonial to his indomitable push and 
energy. He has made life a success because he 
willed it to be so, and in addition possessed that 
order of ability which makes the strongest possible 
combination, and laughs .at the failure to accom- 
plish anything short of impossibility. Such men 
are indeed, valuable citizens, and their career is 
Worthy' the emulation of the rising generation of 
the present time who know little of the lessons of 
experience learned by the sturdy pioneers in the 
school of privation and hardship. 

_>, ^^ <^ 



eW. FOSTER, who has been a resident of 
Mahaska County for over twenty years, of 
Scott Township, was born in Grant Countj', 
Ind., in 1 84i), being a son of Stephen and Marj' 
(Littler) Foster, natives of Ohio and Virginia, 
respectively. Stephen Foster died in the fall of 
1883, at the age of sixty-nine years. His widow 
still survives, being at this writing (1887) sixty- 
three years old, and resides with her son in Ne- 
braska. 

The subject uf this sketch came to this county in 
the spring of 1864, settling on section 3G, in Scott 
Township, and in August, 18G8, was united in 
marriage with Miss Annie Ream, a native of Penn- 
sylvania, and daughter of Benjamin Ream, now 
deceased, and whose biograph}' appears elsewhere 
in this volume. Of this marriage two children 



la 



have been born : Edwin AVinfield, born in June.: 
1871, and Ollie (Jertrude, born in August, 1873. E 
Mr. Foster owns the quarter section upon which " 
he resides, and a small body of timber, and is en- ; 
gaged in general farming and stock-raising, and : 
may be pro])erly classed among the substantial, : 
enteiprising and thrifty farmers of the county. ; 
Politically hi- affiliates with the Creenback party. ~- 

,^^ EORGE BRIGGS, of Prairie Township, is a : 

son of Jcmathan and Elizabeth (^lillhouse) -_ 

Briggs, both of whom were natives of Ohio, : 

residing in Belmont Count}', and engaged in farm- : 

ing. The}- came to Iowa in 18(;.5, and became resi- ; 

dents of Mahaska County, locating in Union Town- ; 

ship, where Elizabeth Briggs died in 187;j, at the ; 

age of seventy-two years. To them were born ; 

seven children, in Belmont County, Ohio, all of : 

whom were living when the youngest was thirty : 

years of age. Three are now dead, viz. : Robert. ' 

William and Josiah, who were residents of Prairie L- 
Townshii). and farmed the land their father had en 

tered in 18.")4. The living children are Mary; : 

George; Sarah, wife of Benjamin Stan ley, of Linn = 

County, and Benjamin. In the spring of 1876, I 

Father Briggs went to Keokuk County, where some c 

of his children reside, and where he owns consider- = 

able property. He was born in 1804, and although I 

now over eighty-two years of age, is hale and : 

hearty, and weighs nearly 200 pounds. ;~ 

George Briggs, the subject of this sketch, was E 

born in Belmont County, Ohio, March 12, 1834. : 

He was raised a farmer's boy, and received a good : 

common-school education, supplemented by one : 

year's attendance at the Friends' College, Mt. 5 

Pleasant, Ohio. He resided in his native county ; 

until 1865, then came to Iowa. In 1869 he united : 

in marriage with Elizabeth Cattell, a daughter of H 

Joseph and Annar Cattell. She was born in Ma- ; 

honing County, Ohio, March 1, 1833. j 

Mr. Briggs now resides <m section 25 in this ; 

township, where he owns eighty-seven acres of : 

land, which he has changed from raw i)rairie to a : 

well-improved, highly cultivated farm, and in ad- : 

dition has charge of and cultivates 133 acres be- E 



n^'u 



i 



Kg:: 



ii: 
i::: 
lisS 



I3C 



I 



13 



IJ 



1^ 



lac 



\i 



H? 




■t^-^^ia 



MAHASKA COUNTY 



longing to his father and brother. Mr. and Mrs. 
Briggs liave one son, Alfred, born Nov. (j, 1874. 
Politically- he is a Reinibliean, and has voted and 
acted with that party since its organization. His 
religions connection is with the Societ}' of Friends, 
of which he has been an acceptable minister for 
twelve j'ears. 

Mr. Briggs" principal bnsiness since coming to 
Iowa has been that of bee-culture. At one time 
he had as many as 225 stands of bees, and in 1883 
harvested over 12,000 pounds of honey. He is the 
inventor and patentee of the Briggs I'laster of I'aiis 
Beehive, which, with all other bee supplies, he has 
mauufactui'ed for the past three years. He is the 
most extensive apiarist in the county, and one of 
the most prominent men engaged in that business 
in the State, and in all matters relating to bcc-culture 
is considered the best authority. As a Christian 
gentleman and citizen, Mr. Briggs has no superiors 
in the county-. A man of fine intelligence, of great 
force of character, a student of men and books, 
and of extensive general knowledge, he occupies a 
prominent place among the leading citizens of his 
township. 



•/-^•^••-^^t^ 



<^*sf-rt^Stf-» 




LBERT LEWIS, of Pleasant Grove Town- 
ship, was born in Trumbull County, Ohio, 
Jan. 16, 1831. He came to Iowa May 
28, 1856, and settled in the above-named 
township, where he purchased eightj- acres of land, 
improved it, and is now the owner of 160 acres of 
excellent land, all in a high state of cultivation, and 
with improvements of the best class. 

Oct. 18, 1855. Mr. Lewis was married to Miss 
Mary D. Hatcher, a native of Ohio, born Feb. 25, 
1838, and a daughter of Joshua and Eliza (Rossi- 
ter) Hatcher, the former a native of Ohio, and the 
latter of New York. .Mr. and Mrs. Lewis have 
become the parents of eleven children : Edward 
and Sherman live in Hodgeman Countj% Kan.; 
Hettie and Hattie, twins; Alice, Albert and Nellie 
reside at home; Francis. Charles, Clarence and 
Olive are deceased. 

Mr. Lewis is an ardent Republican. His wife is 
a prominent member of the Christian Church. It 



is his intention to engage extensively in the fine-jj 
stock business. He is alreadj- the owner of four 



excellent Clydesdale horses and a well-selected herd 
of thoroughbred Short-horn cattle. These animals 
have been selected from the best families with anR 
especial regard fur the purity and accuracy of 
their pedigree, and it is his intention to add to 
them from time to time until he shall have accum- 
ulated a herd second to none in quality or number. 
His initial venture has proven a success; indeed it 
could hardly fail of being so, for he is a man of 
more than average ability in every way, a citizen 
who stands well at home, where he is best known, 
and is greatly esteemed and enjoys the entire con- 
fidence of all who know him. 




■0— 



-!■!' 



-<3- 



J. LYTLE, of (iarfield Township, is a na- 
_ tive of Ohio, where he was born in 1848. 

11 IIj He is a son of Andrew and Helen (Steele) 

f Lytle, who came to this county in the 
spring of 1856. The father died Jan. 7, 1877, and 
his widow is still living in Marshalltown, Iowa, 
with a daughter. The subject of this sketch was 
married, Dec. 31, 1881, to Sarah Dice, a native of 
Pennsylvania, and daughter of Andrew Dice, of 
Monroe County, Iowa. Our subject and wife are 
the parents of three children: Harry, born Oct. 19, 
1882; Walter, Dec. 24. 1884, and Blanche, April 
30, 1886. 

A. J. Lytle was reared on a farm, and has in his 
present homestead 135 acres of well-improved land. 
He began the breeding of Poland-China hogs in a 
small wa}', in 1868, purchasing his first pair of 
swine of H. T. Cunningham, of Knoxville, Iowa, 
and since that date the business has grown rapidly, 
and as a breeder of pure Poland-China hogs Mr. 
Lytle has made a grand success. At the head of 
his herd, for a long time, was the matchless male 
hog, "Balance All," which was bred in Butler 
County. Ohio, was registered in the Ohio Poland- 
China Record, also in the American Record, and by 
good judges said to po.ssess more good points tlian 
any other hog living. 

Mr. Lytle seems to liave fully comprehended the 



..„..^ 



UJ^IUUUJC 



S rixucxKiit 



zxxzxxxxxrrxxzxxi 




(tips 



348 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 




responsibility of the work before him. and always 
took great pains in the selection of his stock, and 
breeding with the strictest regard to the pnrity of 
tiie blood. No breeder has used better judgment, 
})ossesses a more critical and thoroughly trained 
eye, or has bred more closely to a well defined 
standard. The standard of excellence with him is 
the intrinsic merit of the stock. During the last 
five years his sales have been very large, the fame 
of his breed of hogs having extended over a large 
area of territory. All of his old animals are re- 
corded, and all pigs are eligible to record. He has 
been for years an exhibitor at the Mahaska County 
Fair, always capturing a fine line of premiums, and 
has had numerous honors at the Iowa State -Fair 
and at the State Fair at Lincoln, Neb. To him the 
swine breeders of Mahaska County owe more than 
to any other man for the improvement of the breed 
of hogs in this county. 

As a man Mr. Lytle is generous, liberal and hon- 
est. The petty jealousies and narrow visions that 
limit and cripple manj' men do not anno}' liim. 
His frankness e\ery one admires, and his honesty 
is worthy of imitation. 



"'vT, -.\e£j2i2,»©^«-| 



|•>^/^^SJ/t7^^^r»v~ -v/v^^ 



OEL BURNETT, residing on section l.'i. 
Sirring Creek Township, was born in Bed- 
ford County, Va., April 11, 1832, and is the 
^^Jj son of James and Hannah Burnett, natives of 
Virginia, and both of whom died in the State of 
Ohio. Joel Burnett came from Ohio to Mahaska 
Count.y about the year 1870, and followed en- 
gineering in Oskaloosa for eight years, and at the 
sawmill of James Loughridge on section lr>, this 
township, for three years. 

Mr. Burnett was married, Sept. 21, 1850, to 
Rachel L. Taylor, who was born Oct. 9, 1839, and 
is a daughter of Jeremiaii and Dercj- J. (Searl) 
Taylor. JNIr. Burnett enlisted Sept. 18, ISGl, in 
Co. F, 5Gth (Jliio Vol. Inf., under Capt. George 
Wilhelm, Col. Peter Kinney commanding. He was 
Sergeant in that compan}', serving as such until 
September, l.st;;j. He participated in the capture 
of Ft. Donelson and the liattle of Shiloh, going 
thence to Helena, Ark., and participating in all 



the raids and skirmishes in which that regiment 
was engaged, also the battles of Port Gibson, Ray- 
mond, Jaeksim, Champion Hills and the siege of 
^'^icksburg•, and in the battle of Champion Hills re- 
ceived a severe wound, by reason of which he was 
ultimately discharged. 

Mr. Burnett is a member of Mahaska Lodge No. 
16, I. O. O. F., of Oskaloosa, and himself and wife 
are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
Politically he is a Repulilicau. He is an industrious, 
hard-working man, thoroughly competent as an en- 
gineer, genial and accommodating in business mat- 
ters, and eiijoying the respect and confidence of J k 



aU. 



E-ll 



#"# 





ISm^^^^^^s:^ 



^^ EORGE H. FAUQUIER, who is operating a 
|I| (— ^ good farm in Adams Township, was born 
^^^ in Miami County, Ohio, Nov. 22, 1821, be- 
ing tlie son of Thomas and Phu;De (Hathaway) Fau- 
quier, the former a native of Virginia, and the lat- 
ter of Ohio. When a small child Thomas Fau- 
quier was taken by his parents to Kentucky, whei-e 
he grew to manhood, and thence emigrated to 
Ohio, where lie married INIiss Pha'be Hathaway, by 
whom he liad ten children, five girls and five boys, 
of whom three girls and three boys are yet living. 
George H.. the subject of this sketch, was the 
fourth child. He was reared upon a farm, but at 
the age of nineteen commenced to learn the trade 
of wagon-making, and continued in that business 
four years, then returned to farm life. 

Mr. Fauquier resided in his native State until 
1847, then removed to Indiana, resided there until 
the year 18.51, and in September of that 3'e:ir came 
to Iowa, locating in Mahaska Count3\ He pur- 
chased 20(1 acres of school land in Adams Town- 
ship, where he has since continued to reside. The 
subject of this history was married, in 1850, to Miss 
Sarah A. Woods, a native of Ohio, born in 1825, 
and by this union there have been born seven chil- 
dren, as follows: Clara is tlie wife of E. Phillips, 
of this township; Thomas lives in Harrison County, 
Iowa; James W. is at home; Henry resides in Cali- 
fornia, Eldora, Alfred and Mattie are at home. 

Mr. Fauquier was educated, politically, in the 
Republican faitli, but since the organization of the 













OJg HO 




MAHASKA COUNTY. 



349 



National fireenliMck piirty has lieeu an enthusiastic 
advocate of its pi-jneipios, ami a leader in its coun- 
cils. The homo farm of Mr. F". and his family is 
under excellent cultivation and finely iiM|)roved, 
and its owner has been fairly prospered in his busi- 
ness affairs. lie is a good citizen, energetic and in- 
dustrious, honoralile and conscientious, and enjoys 
the conlidence of friends and acquaintances. 

-^ .#>#. ^ 



I^^IMKOlJ U(JS.S, deceased, who w;is an hon- 
I }/) *^'^^^ resident of Mahaska County for more 
/1\ ,x^, than thirt}' \"ears, was the son of Mcshach 
and Eleanor (Jones) Ross, and was born in Harri- 
son County, W. Va., Jan. i), 1800. He departed 
this life in JScott Township, this county. May 17, 
1876. The father of Mr. Ross was of Scotch-Irisii 
and his mother of Welsli descent. At the age of 
nineteen years he was apprenticed to the black- 
smith trade, and in 182-1 procured a shop and tools 
in Bridgeport, W. \'a., where for ten years he 
worked at his trade, boarding in the meantime with 
the famil}' of Dr. David Davisson. On Sept. 20, 
1834, he was married to IMiss Ann Eliza, the 
daughter of Dr. David and Maria (DeVecmon) Da- 
visson. She was born Jan. 5, 1811. Her father was 
of English and Welsh, and her mother of French 
and Swiss descent. 

In 1834 Mr. and Mrs. Ross emigrated to Taze- 
well County, 111.; in 1837, to Darke Countj-, Ohio; 
in June, 1839, to Henry Count}', Iowa; in April, 
1840, to Washington County, and in April, 1 845, to 
.Scott Township, this county, where our sid)ject re- 
sided until his death, as above noticed. His brother, 
John Ross, a practical surveyor, owning a complete 
set of instruments, who was afterward a member of 
the first bar of Oskaloosa, and emigrated to Califor- 
nia in 18.50, came to Mahaska County, May 1, 
1843, and staked off a claim on section !), Scott 
Township, which he persuaded Nimrod to settle 
upon as a hc)me for his famil}'. They were happily 
engaged in Iniilding up this home for themselves 
and their children in this then new land, when Mis. 
Ross was called from earth, .Ian. 7, 184.S, in the 
thirty-seventli year of her age, dying as she had 
lived, a uirudirr nf the .Mrlhodist l';pi>c(ip:il 



Church. Six children were born to them, namely: 
David Davisson, Meshacli, Eleanor M.. John O. D., 
A. C. and Ann Eliza. Meshach died in Henry 
County in 1830; the others are living. In the fall 
of 1865 Mr. Ross moved to Oskaloosa, that his 
children might enjoy the educational privileges its 
excellent schools afforded, returning to the farm in 
April, 1870. In August following, a stroke of 
paralysis disabled the left side <jf his body, which 
was followed by a second and fatal attack ISIay 10, 
1876. He was a member of Olivet Presbyterian 
Church. On his decease his remains were laid to 
rest beside those of his wife, in Smith Cemetery. 
Mr. Ross was a man of decided views, never hesi- 
tating to express himself upon all questions where 
gO(jd morals and good government were concerned. 
He was a friend of education, and took a lively in- 
terest in the upbuilding of our common schools. 
In politics he was a Republican. 



\f^AVID D. ROSS, of Scott Township, was 
I jlj born in Tazewell County, 111.. Aug. 2, 
(^J^^ 1835, and is the eldest son of Nimrod and 
^'^ Ann Eliza (Davisson) Ross, both natives 

of West \'irginia, whose biography appears i:)n 
this page. David came with his parents to .Scott 
Township, this county, in April, 1845. He attended 
such schools as were in reach of his father's home 
until the spring of 1 856, when he went to Clarks- 
burg. W. Va., where he attended the Northwestern 
Academy two years. Returning to this county in 
the sprnig of 1858, he found a company of young 
men fitting up a wagon for .a trip to Kansas, and 
accompanied them for the summer. He returned 
and taught school the winter following, in Prairie 
College School-house ; the second winter in Adams 
Township, and the third winter in Monroe, assist- 
ing in the cultivation of the farm during the sum- 
mer season. 

Mr. Ross was united in marriage with Miss Sarah 
J., daughter of Jacob and Mary A. (Lamer) 
Himes, April 24, 1801. Mrs. R. was born in ^■e- 
nango County, Pa., Jan. 1, 183'.), and removed with 
iier parents, in .May, 1848. to Zaneslield. Logan Ci'.. 
(>hio. (For lpii)gr:ipliy of her i)arcnts, see elsewhere 






ff 



.^i..-j^.,ks 



l&iir«Kyyi »y^rTTTy »itrrTT»?TJ 



v^xxxxxzxnai 



w 



C 




350 



in this volume.) Here she attended school until 
the winter of 1853-54, and the 3'ear following at 
Geneva Seminarj', in Northwood, Ohio. In the 
following summer, of 1855, she taught school near 
Zanesfleld, and during the winter of 1855-5(5 was 
teacher in the primary department of the schools 
at Middleburg, of which Rev. William Cheever 
was Principal. In the spring of 1856 she came 
with her pai-ents to Six-Mile Prairie, in this 
countj-, and the following spring removed to Scott 
Township. She taught at Prairie College School- 
house during the summers of 1857 and 1859, and 
in the summer of 1860 at Pleasant Dale School- 
house, Madison Township. In the winter of 1860- 
61, in company with her brother Theodore, she 
attended a select school in Oskaloosa, taught by 
Prof. J. F. Everett. On the 15th of May, 1861, 
she removed with her husband to section 16. Scott 
Township, where they now reside. 

Mr. and Mrs. Ross are menil)ers of the Presby- 
terian Church. They have four daughters — Ann 
Mary, Maggie A., Minnie E. and .Sarah A'ida. Ann 
Mary and Maggie A. are graduates of Penn Col- 
lege, having received the degree of B. S., June 24, 
1885, and are^teaching in this county. INIinnie K. 
is a member of the class of 18^7, Penn College. Mr. 
Ross owns 102 acres of land, eighty of which is im- 
proved ;]the balance is timber. 







crs^^HOMAS T. HOFFMIRE, an esteemed citi- 
zen of New Sharon, is a son of Luther and 
Ann J. (Kirk) Hoffmire, a biography of 
whom appears elsewhere in this work. He was born 
in Adams Township, this county, Feb. 14, 1859. 
He received his education in the public schools of 
New Sharon, and afterward taught school in this 
county four years. In .Tuly, 1881, he went to 
Creston, Iowa, and took charge of a branch office 
for the Singer Manufacturing Company, of Chi- 
cago, handling their business in a very satifactory 
manner, and with signal abilitj-, for a period of 
over three j'ears, and then returned to New Sharon 
to assist his parents, his father being in poor health. 
He immediately commenced a course of law read- 
ing, which he has continued since September, 1884, 



and in the meantime has carried on a real-estate, i 
insurance and collection agency. ; 

Mr. Hoffmire is a member of the Masonic f rater- ■ 
nity. As was his father before him, he is a man of i 
strict integrity, of fine iKisiness qualifications, is ; 
building up fur himself an excellent business, i 
gaining many friends and making no enemies. \ 

^^^ OLOMON E. RHINEHART, M. D., was j 
^^^ the son of the late Judge James and De- i 
1(1/ jl) lilah Rhineliart, and was born at Waynes- | 
burg, Greene Co., Pa., Oct. 19, 1827. The ! 
family resided there some eight years after his 
birth, then removed to (4uernsey County, Ohio, 
whei'c his father, though an attorney at law, engaged 
in teaching school long enough to entitle him, ac- 
cording to the law of Ohio at that time, to practice 
his profession there. It was here, at the schools 
taught b}- his father, tliat 3'oung Rhinehart com- 
menced his school days. Possessing an active 
mind, united with a strong will, he mastered the 
outlines of a good education in early life, that en- 
abled him to seek higher educational advantages. 
These being afforded him, he lost no time until old 
enough to choose the profession he qualified him- 
self for, and energetically followed as long as his 
health would permit. 

Our subject read medicine three j-ears witii Dr. 
Hildreth, a prominent physician and surgeon of 
Zanesville, Ohio, and was then advised by his pre- 
ceptor to go for six months to a medical school at 
Cleveland, Ohio, to make further preparations for 
college. Compl^'ing with all the preliminary de- 
mands, he entered Jefferson Medical College, Phil- 
adelphia, where he graduated in 1850. On return- 
ing home he commenced practice at Senecaville, 
where his parents had lived for many years. But, 
like thousands of others, he thought of the advice 
of Horace Greeley, "Go west, young man," and 
came to Oskaloosa, Iowa, in the spring of 1851, 
entering into partnership with Dr. AVeatherford, 
who had a good practice. It was soon discovered 
that the young doctor had the ability and push 
necessary to make him just the man needed in this 
new country. In less than two years his partner 




\^ '/ / y///y/ /^ \ 







cS£jii 




MAHASKA COUNTY. 



; went to drcrrfni, but Dr. Rhiiieliart's reputation was 
; fairlj- establishcil, and liis rising fame .assured as a 
\% doctor of medicine; and witiial, being prepossess- 
ing and witii winning manners, it could hardly be 
expected he would remain long without another 
partner, and the next to be a woman. There lived a 
very intelligent 3"onng lady in the county, the 
daughter of A.sa and Susan Davis, then of Harrison 
Township, but formerly from Hallowell, Jle. It 
was noticed bj' some of his friends of Oskaloosa 
that in addition to the Doctor's duties in the prac- 
tice of his profession, he would occasionally visit 
iu the countr}', and on Oct. I'J, 1852, at the resi- 
dence of the bride's parents, on the farm now 
owned by her lirother, M. M. B. Davis, Dr. S. E. 
Rhinehart and Miss M.aria J. Davis were united in 
the bonds of matrimonj'. Rev. Thomas Ballinger 
officiating. 

Assuming the responsibilities of their new rela- 
\ tions, those J'oung people united heart and hand, 
; and with indomitable energy started out to Ia3' the 
'■\ foundation of the wealth they afterward enjoyed. 
Is Hut several j'ears before his death the Doctor's 
„:. health failed. As a last resort he went to Denver, 
■^ is C'ol., and thinking it helped him, made three visits 
it there, the last time taking his family' with him. 
: There he lingered for eighteen months, surrounded 
: l>y a loving familj- and able physicians, doing all 
t they could to make him comfortable. But his dis- 
I ease, consumption, battled both skill and kindness, 
I and on the 18th of January, 1 875, aged forty-seven 
R years and three months, in his right mind, and in 
I the full assurance of a blessed immortality, not only 
for himself but all mankind, feelingly and aflfec- 
tionately. he cnibr.aced his family, bade them fare- 
well, and clo.-^ed his eyes in death, to w.ake up amid 
the flashing glories of immortal youth. 

The remains of the Do<;ti>r were brought back 
to Oskaloosa for interment. He belonged to the 
Masonic fraternity, and on the day of burial the 
brethren took charge of his remains from the home 
' iji of his parents, and gently carried them to the 
*i Methodist Church, where a funeral servic^e was con- 
ducted b}- the Rev. C. B. Clark, resident pastor, 
^„ after which the liodj* was Uiken to Forest Cemetery 
'3 bj' the Master .Masons of the city, and liuricd in 
"'- "he familv li>l liv tlif ~i<lc i>f several deiir childriMi. 



12C 
\ 

P 
1 




Dr. Rhinehart at death left a wife and two 
daughters, Alice and Cora. Alice married Mr. 
William F. Calloway- in Denver, but has since died, 
leaving one child, a daughter, who is now nine 
years old. Cora, the only one surviving, lives 
with her mother in the city, where they have a 
competence for life. The children gone before 
were Alice, Clarence, Nellie and Marj'. A grand 
family monument made of red Scotch granite 
marks the spot where cluster fond and sacred rec- 
ollections of the memory of Dr. S. E. Rhinehart. 

S. HENDERSON, M. D., druggist and phar- 
ist at Muchachinock, w:\s born in West 
Dec. 14, 18.52, and is a son of R. 
A. M. (.Shanklin) Henderson, na- 
tives of that State. R. H. Henderson, until his 
removal from West ^'irginia to the West, was en- 
gaged in boating on the Ohio River, and followed 
that avocation all his life, filling about all the dif- 
ferent positions and offices incident to steam-boat- 
ing. The latter years of his life in that businesi* 
were as Captain of one of the best boats upon the 
river. He has now retired from active labor and 
is living in Oskaloosa with his children. 

The subject of this sketch. Dr. J. S. Henderson, 
is a graduate of Starling Medical College, Colum- 
bus, Ohio, and is also a graduate of the Classical 
College at Marietta, Ohio, the course of which lat- 
ter institution he completed in 1877, and since 
wliich time has been engaged in the practice of 
medicine and surgery in and near Muchachinock. 
In connection with his brother-in-law. Dr. .1. C. Bar- 
ringer, of O.skaloosa, our subject is Surgeon of the 
Consolidation Coal Companj-, of .Muchachinock, and 
has officiated in that capacitj' for the past five 
j-ears. The Doctor is Postmaster at Much.achinock. 
He is a member of the Masonic fraternity and 
of the Knights of Pythias. 

Though conipai.atively a young man in his pro- 
fession, the Doctor is possessed of a verj- high or- 
der of ability, and is making a very gratifying suc- 
cess in a professional w.a}-. With him a patient is 
a personal responsibility, and he takes great inter- 
est in Ihcir welfare, attendini; tliem faitlifulh ;iud 




m 




^ "- ' i^ i ^ ' -^ 



tacrxiiiJiJi^ 




jmiiiiniii 1 



M 3o2 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



if 






with the tenderest solicitude, and being possessed 
of a genial, sunny disposition, his very presence 
in the sick room is of itself a tonic. In the sterner 
duties of his profession, where the knife of the 
surgeon must be used, the Doctor is fearless, yet 
kind. The combination of all these qualities has 
established his reputation professionally- beyond a 
question. 



\Y? OEL E. OGBORN, of Union Township, son 
of Samuel and Esther (Andrews) Ogborn, 
was born in Wayne County, Ind., March 17, 
1828, and passed his days up<m the farm 
until he reached earlj^ manhood. He then learned 
the trade of blacksmithing, which he followed for 
several years. The parents of our subject were both 
natives of New Jersey, and lifelong members of the 
Society of Friends. Both are now deceased. In 
December, 1853, Joel Ogborn removed to Knox 
County, 111., remaining there one year, and then 
came direct to Iowa, arriving in this county June 
7, 1855, and locating upon his present farm. 

Mr. Ogborn had been married to Miss Martha 
Lane, Sept. (>, 1 849. Mrs. O. is a native of Preble 
Count}', Ohio, and the daughter of Ira and Hannah 
(Cooper) Lane, the father of North Carolina and 
the mother of Ohio. To our subject and wife 
have been born thirteen children, as follows: Kosela 
and Walter are deceased; Wilbern married Miss 
Emma Scott, aud lives in New Sharon; Horace H. 
married Miss Laura Marks, and lives at Oskaloosa; 
Viola is dead; Frank H. married Miss Anna Mead, 
and lives in Rooks County, Kan.; Katie L. is a 
teacher and resides at home, but at present is at- 
tending Northwestern University, at Evanston, 111. ; 
Arthur C. married Miss L. Gorsuch, and lives with 
his father; Mollie died Nov. 26, 1886; she had been 
a teacher for some years; Alice V. is a teacher; Al- 
bert died in infanc}- ; Olive L. and Fred R. are at 
home. 

Mr. Ogborn affiliates with the Republican partj' ; 
he was elected Justice of the Peace in 1862, which 
office lie held for four years. Himself and wife 
are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
The home farm consists of 130 acres of extra good 
land, in an excellent state of cultivation and well im- 



proved. In the winter of 1886-87 some effort was 
made for coal on the farm, with a prospect of suc- 
cess. Mr. Ogborn is in every respect a first-class 
citizen, and possesses those elements of character 
which command the confidence and esteem of 
friends and neighbors. 

Mr. Ogborn's first presidential vote was cast for 
John P. Hale, with George AV. Julian for A^ice 
President. Until the organization of the Repub- 
lican party he was what was known as a "free-soil" 
man, since which time he has been a Republican. 
He is a strong temperance man and has not tasted 
alcoholic liquors for over fort}' years. 

ELIJAH BUSBY, of ]Monroe Township, son 
of John W. and Anna (Merriman) Busby, 
-/ was born in Carroll County, Ohio, Nov. 17, 
1831. He came to Iowa March 27, 1852, first lo- 
cating in Wapello County. He entered some land 
in Madison County, in 1854, and sold it in 1863. 
He then came to this county and purchased a farm 
in Adams Township, which he afterward sold, and 
purchased his present farm of 11)7 acres in Monroe 
Township. 

April 30, 1857, Mr. Busby was married to Miss 
Eliza Bass. Thej' are the parents of six children : 
William L. lives in Brooklj'n, Poweshiek Count}'; 
Laura is the wife of Z. W. Thomas, of Ft. Dodge, 
Iowa; Emma L., John R., Homer E. and Lenna E. 
reside at home. Oct. 17, 1861, Mr. Busby en- 
listed in Co. F, 4:th Iowa Vol. Cav., served with 
his regiment until it was discharged, and then re- 
enlisted as a veteran, remaining with the regiment 
until its final muster out, Aug. 2, 1865. He en- 
tered the service as a private soldier; was promoted 
Corporal Oct. 1, 1862, was promoted Duty Sergeant 
May 1, 1864, and Commissary Sergeant of the com- 
pany before its final muster out. That he was a 
good soldier and did his whole duty is evidenced by 
his several promotions. He is a member of Tom 
Connor Post, G. A. R., at Rose Hill. 

Politically Mr. B. is a member of the Greenback 
party. His home is composed of good land, which 
he has brought to an excellent state of cultivation, 
and has it well improved. He is making a success 



an 

I! 



Hi 



pi 



m 



P£> 







r^" 



HXU3DUgir»' 



niiv 



" 'iiHHsMla""" '"B^^a 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 




of his business, because of his excellent manage- 
ment and goorl judgment in the conduct of the 
same. Personally and sociallj- Mr. Busby stinds 
high in the esteem of a large circle of friends and 
acquaintances. 



^i-JC#?-^^ 



II 



/^) "^^^I^J^'*^ ^^- LOFLAND, a highly esteemed 
jll citizen of Oskaloosa, is the j-oungest son of 

^^J Col. John and Sarah J. (Bartlett) Lotland, 
and was born in Oskaloosa, Jan. 15, 1859. He w.as 
educated in the public schools of the cit_y, graduat- 
ing from the High School in the class of 1877, 
afterward attending one year at Oskaloosa College. 
In 1878 he entered the employ of the C, B. & <^. 
R. R. Co., serving as civil engineer for a period of 
two years. In 1880 he was eug.aged bj' the Oska- 
loosa National Bank as book-keeper, retaining that 
position until the mouth of April, 1886, when he 
was chosen b3^ the Board of Directors as Cashier, 
vice W. A. Lindly, resigned. 

Dec. 28, 1881, Mr. Lofland was united in mar- 
riage with Miss Mary E., a daughter of Henry I. 
and Norvella Little, of this citj\ (See biogi'aphi- 
cal sketch elsewhere in this work.) She was born 
in Ogle County, 111., in 1863. By this union there 
have been two children: John H., born Feb. 6, 
1883, and Helen, Feb. 21, 1885. 

Mr. Lolland is a 3'oung man of the strictest in- 
tegritj', possessing a high order of business qualifi- 
cations, and is firnilj' established in the confidence 
of the people, as the responsible position to which 
he has lately been chosen clearly' indicates. 

>)HOMPSON BALDWIN, deceased, was a pio- 
neer of this count}' of 1846, and was burn 
in Champaign Count}', Ohio, Feb. 10, isn;. 
Julj' 22, 1837, he was married to Sophronia P!iel|)S, 
who was born in Ohio, ^Nlarch 28, 1821, and is a 
daughtei' of Sylvester and Mai'ia Phelps. (See their 
biography elsewhere in this volume.) Mr. and 
Mrs. Baldwin came to Iowa in 18 16, locating ou 
section 1."!. of Richland Township, and hero he fol- 
lowed the occui)ntiou of farming until his rleiitli. 




L; 



which took place Jan. 15, 1880. Mrs. Baldwin 3'et 
survives, and resides on the homestead. The fam- 
ily consisted of eight children; only two are now 
living: Rosaltha, wife of James R. Grace, died Aug. 
6, 1862, at the age of twentj'-three years; Sylves- 
ter resides in this township; Elizabeth Imogene 
died March 20, KSfJO; Nancy M. is the wife of Oh- 
tavius Hull and lives at Stockton, Cal. ; Caroline 
died Nov. 24, 1874, Edna, July 20, 1872; Marley, 
Aug. 10, 1880, and Hannah J., July 24, 1873. 

Mr. Baldwin was a very ardent supporter of the 
Republican partjs but refused all offers of prefer- 
ment and devoted his time entirely to his private 
business. At the time of his death he owned about 
400 acres of land. It is one of the best farms in 
that township, is in a high state of cultivation and 
splendidly improved in every waj'. His life was a 
success in all respects, and he ranked as a leader 
among the strong men of that locality. His aliil- 
itj' was more than ordinary', and he possessed many 
noble qualities of a manlj' manhood. These en- 
deared him gi-eatly to his friends and neighbors 
and to a large circle of acquaintances in all parts of 
the county. By his uniform courtesy' he acipiired 
many strong and lasting fricudshi|)s, and had few, 
if an}', enemies. 



UC. SEMPLE, a prosperous farmer and resi- 
dent of Scott Township, was born in Car- (ii^^l 
'^f^ roll County. Ohio, in 1828. and is a son of tj IH 
Samuel and Jane (Crawford) Semple, who were na- ^^. P^. 
tives of Ireland, and came to this country in 1812. tjF-iy 

"]- W' 

The paternal gi'andfather of our subject was a sol- 
dier in the War of 1812. Mr. and Mrs. Samuel 
Semple were among the early, settlers of Ohio, lo- r j| 
eating in Carroll County while the Indians were vw 
yet in possession of a large portion of the territory, iM 
and passed through all the trials and difficulties in- 
cident to life in those perilous times. 

W. C. Semple was reared to manhood under the 
parental roof, and married, Oct. 30, 1856, to Miss 
Rebecca Mackernian, a native of Carroll County, 
Ohio, and a d.auglUer of Daniel and Lucinda (Brad- 
ford) Mackerinan, the mother a native of Ohio, ancl 
tlic father of Pi'nnsvlvania. wiicrc he followed tlu' 






m 







tiiiiiiixxxxxxmKjrnii 






m CTTTi rrrmi 







354 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



occupation of farmiug-. Our subject and his wife 
became tlie iiaieuts of four cliildren, two now de- 
ceased : Sarah Jane, the wife of Joseph Stevens, re- 
sides in Marion County, Iowa: Uaniel James lives 
in Merrick County-, Neb.; Marietta, Mrs. Jolin 
Ilarrold, lives in Des jMoiiies Township: Oijiha 
Ruth is at home; Samuel L., born in D^ti'J, died 
Sept. 10, IJSHO, aged eleven years, six months and 
thirteen days. He was accidently killed by the 
discharge of a revolver in his own hands. 

Mr. Semple arrived in this county May ;31, isd.i, 
and located on section i, in Scott Township, upon 
land then purchased, and wjiich he has developed 
to the highest state of cultivation. The buildings 
and other improvements on his farm are of the 
most substantial character, and have been built 
with a view to both comfort and convenience. 
The house alone cost over *2,200. Mr. Semple is 
])rincipally engaged in stctck-raising, in which he 
has achieved signal success, and it has proven to 
him a most profitable branch of business. He is 
careful and s\-stematic in farming, as in all other 
affairs in life, and a worthy representative of that 
sturdy ancestry which '• knows no such word as 
fail." Me possesses great force of character, and 
an indomitable will, matures his plans and then 
pursues them to successful results. Such men are 
valuable citizens, whetiier they be fouud in the 
public or private walks of life. 



^^EORGE E 

|I| (— ^ fine farm 
^^jj was born 



,^;?=!5) EORGE ELLIS DIXON, located upon the 

of Mrs. Reeves in Scott Township, 

in Hennepin, Macon Co.. 111., Feb. 

24, 1850, and is a son of Samuel Albert and Ase- 

-n nath (Nash) Dixon, who were natives of Northern 

ij New York, and are now living in Greenwood 

F1 County, Kan., where Mr. Dixon yet follows the 

1:1 trade of his youth, wagon-making. George, the 

Vj subject of this sketch, came to this county in 1«G2, 

having previously lived at Kirkville, Wapello Co., 

Iowa. 

Mr. Dixon was married, Sept. 17, 1871, to Miss 
Jennie Hammitt, a native of Jefferson Township, 
Mahaska County, and a daughter of A. J. and Hes- 
ter (Eveland) Hammitt, natives of Ohio, the former 





of Perry and the latter of Morgan County. To 
Mr. and Mrs. Dixon live children have been born, 
four of whom are now living: Hester Asenath was 
born Aug. K, 1872; Harry Hammitt. born Nov. 21. 
1874, died Aug. 30, 1876; Leonard Andrew was 
born March 8, 1878; Mary Cornelia, July l.j. 1880; 
Clara Emma, Dec. 20, 1884. 

Mr. Dixon is a painter by trade, and followed 
that business until the year 1882, when he removed 
with his family t(j the farm where he is now re- 
siding, and of which he has general supervision. 
The farm is a [)roductive one, and turns out, under 
the skillful supervision of Mr. Dixou. ;is ample 
crops as it did in days of yore. 



r-'-.-.'.r-'/ 



^^J'^Ti. 




ON. HARDIN TICE, of Union Township, 
was born in IMontgomer^' County, ^'a., Oct. 
27, 1829. His father was of German de- 
scent, and his mother of English, but both 
American born. Thej' were people of moderate 
means, yet possessing enough to own a home of 
their own after marriage. To them were born 
eleven children, seven boys and four girls, and they 
had the pleasure of seeing all grow to man and 
womanhood. Four are now deceased. The chil- 
dren lived commendable lives, not more than one 
having ever been engaged in a lawsuit, thus prov- 
ing them peaceable and law-abiding people. 

The subject of this sketch, Hardin Tice, was the 
sixth son. Soon after his birth, the famil}' moved 
to Sangamon County, 111., where he was brought 
up, receiving only the meager common-school edu- 
cation of that early time. There were no free 
schools in those days, and it was only those of am- 
ple means who could afford even to think of a col- 
lege course. In the month of March, 1852, he 
started west on horseback, beginning life for him- 
self, and having all his worldly possessions packed 
in a portmanteau. He located in Black Oak Town- 
ship, this county, and bought 160 acres of land, on 
five j-ears' time, without interest, at an agreed price 
of $4.65 per acre, and here, with an elder brother, 
began the work of making a farm from the raw 
prairie. For the first eighteen months after their 
location the brothers kept house by themselves, or, 



5tl 

at I 

f\ 

: ti 

ri 

: .1, 
:-i 
: 1 



;i 

1 

-1 

II 
:l 



I 

I 

I 

L 

I 

I 

-I 
n 

c\ 

I 
I 
I 
I 
I 

I 
I 



i 



i! 



It 



I It 1 1 1'ljujuTtT-Trr" 



I riixinxmrxmii 








MAHASKA COUNTY. 



355 



as it was commonly termed in those days, kept 
■• bach." The first summer they cultivated a crop 
on eight}' acres belonging to his brother, and spent 
the ensuing winter in hauling rails a distance of 
six miles with which to fence forty acres of his own 
land. The iiauling was done with four yoke of 
oxen, and the entire day from sunrise to sundown 
was occupied in hauling one load of ninety rails. 
The following spring with their ox-teams they 
broke the sod upon the encU)scd lorty acres and 
planted it in corn. 

In the fall of the same year .Mr. lice built a log- 
house 10x14 feet, and also constructed a stable of 
rails and straw. Having made all proper arrange- 
ments for housekeeping, he sought the hand i>f 
Miss Mar}- J. Wilson in marriage, and Nov. 2, 
1.H.53, they were united in the bonds of matrimony. 
She was the daughter of a near neighbor, and was 
born May 8, 1835. Five daughters have been 
boiii to them: Clara, born Dec. 10, IX.'jl), is now 
the wife of A. C. Noel, of Leighton; Emma, born 
.hine ■2t>, 1860, is the wife of A. L. Christy, of Des 
Moines, Iowa; Lil}', born May 0, 18(1.1 ; Dora, Nov. 
27. 18G',i; Delia, March 31, 1872. 

The tirst two j'ears following his marriage, Mr. 
Tice was engaged in farming and trading in horses, 
and then added that of bu^-ing and feeding cattle 
and hogs. This he continued with financial suc- 
ce.ss until 1870, when he rented his farm and moved 
to Oskaloosa. During all these _vears Mr. Tice has 
occupied a prominent position in the politics of his 
county and State, nearh' all the various township 
ollices having been held l)y him, and in the year 
1875 he was elected bj- the Kepulilican party to 
represent this district in the House of Kepresenta- 
tives of the (General Assembly of Iowa, receiving 
in this election the high compliment of securing 
more votes than an}- other man on his ticket. 

After having spent seven years in the city of Os- 
kaloosa, living a retired life in an elegant home, 
Mr. Tice removed to his present admirable loca- 
tion in Union Township, where he now occupies 
his time in general farming and stock-raising. His 
present farm, bought in 1881, is a half section of 
very fine prairie land, lying in Adams and Union 
Townships. His first work was to set sixteen acres 
in trees, half e.Mcii of catalpa and wnlnut. It is so 



.fife 



'ri'r. ' i jWirftjoWM i 'w wffffw 



L'iMfMJUiU i l l MMmW M iM Bi m W 



arranged as to be a thorough windbreak for build- 
ings and cattle-3-ards. The trees are large enough 
at this time, to make a splendid shade in the sum- 
mer, and will soon be an admirable protection from 
the chilling winds of winter. Upon the farm is a 
ver}- fine a|)ple orchard of 200 trees, embracing 
fifty different varieties, man}- of which fruited for 
the first time in 1886. There is, perhaps, no farm 
in Mahaska County that for its age shows such a 
high state of cultivation, or has a lietter class of 
improvements. It is ali'eady a beautiful home, 
and will be much more so in the near future under 
the admirable management of its owner. 

In educational matters Mr. Tice has always 
taken a great interest. He is a friend not only to 
our public schools, but to higher education. In 
1881. w-hen an effort was made to move Oskaloosa 
College to Des Moines, Mr. Tice ojiposed the meas- 
ure in a forcible manner, and to his efforts, prob- 
ably more than to any other one man, it was de- 
feated, and Oskaloosa retained its old and widelv 
known educational institution. \\bcn elected 
Treasurer of the Hoard of Trustees, he not onlv 
nian.aged its general finances in an admirable man- 
ner, but taking tiie field, he solicited donations, 
first to pay oft' a debt of $(),5()() which was han<ring 
over the college, and when that was met, for the 
suitable endowment i>( the college. In liiis work 
he was eminently successful, securing (hjnations 
amounting to -$1 1,000, while he himself contributed 
liberally. 

Mr. and Mrs. Tice are members of the Christian 
Church, and take an active interest in all things 
pertaining to the churcirs welfare. Hardin Tice 
may be properly pronounced a self-made man. 
His financial success in life, beginning as he did, 
with nothing but the labtn- of his hands, is the liest 
possible evidence of the [lossession of abilities of a 
very high order. There are few men in .Mahaska 
County better posted on general topics, or can ex- 
press themselves more forcibly and to the point 
upon debatable questions. His early advantages 
were meager, but lie iinpni\ed them, and the dis- 
tinguished ability with whicii lie rei)resented his 
county in the (ieneral .\ssenibly of the State, is 
evidence of broad and liberal accpiiremeiits. At 
his elegant liomc there is iinbimiided lii>spilalit\ . 



ft,' hi 



B 
V 



'?1 
II 



11 






ff 



1 



I- 

m 



rn 



I » I Ti 1 1 1 J » 



Effl^ 



SSSS! 



i aMfefeaaiafainv.it.Ma 



czcronrxtra 

1. 356 



ITr > I 1 t ■ ITTTni-TT-T-T- 







^im" 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



I 



which is dispensed in an .idmirable manner by his 
ehai-ming- wife and daughters. Personally and so- 
cially he (iccupies a very high place in -the esteem 
i)f friends and neighbors. 



..■>:<..;:i-..2» -iii^ 





miM 




^ 



OSES KEEVES, dece.ased, formerly a resi- 
dent of Scott Township, was born in the 
State of iS'ew York, Feb. 14, 1800, and 
was a son of Levi and .Sarah (Meyers) 
Reeves. They were natives of the same State, and 
removed to Mn.skinguni County. Ohio, when our 
subject was a boy eight years of age. There he 
remained until 18oG, when, becoming of suitable 
age, he followed as a business, the buying and ship- 
ping of grain at Oaysport, Ohio. 

Mr. Reeves was married in Ohio in is-js. to Miss 
Margaret Jlonroe, a native of Ohio, who became 
the mother of one daughter, M. Minerva, now the 
wife of .Tames Finney. Mrs. Margaret Reeves died 
in Ohio, in July, 1859. 

Mr. Reeves came to Mahaska County in 18.)(;, 
settling on section 2(J, Scott Township, where he 
remained until his death, which took place March 
28, 1879, at the age <.)f sevent^'-nine years. He 
had been a second time married, Dec. 17. 1859, to 
Mary Eveland, a native of Ohio, who still sur- 
vives, ■■ind lives upon the beautiful home farm of 
375 acres, and in compan}' with her nejjhew and 
niece, Mr. and Mrs. Oeorge Dixon, carries on the 
business of general farming. 



'l|p?i\ENJAMIN REAM, deceased, was born in 
,^C, Pennsylvania in 1823, and was a son of 
John and Lydia (Cling) Ream, natives of 
Pennsylvania. John Ream, who was born 
in 1800, was a tinner by trade, and worked many 
years at that business in Reading, Lancaster and 
Newcastle. He also owned and operated a farm in 
that State, which he sold in 1 855. He then came 
to this county and purchased a farm in Garfield 
Township, which he afterward sold, and removed to 
Beacon, and there died in 1873, at the age of 
leventy-threc years. His widow, who was born 




July 1, 1800, still survives, .and resides at Beacon. 

The subject of this sketch was married, in 1 845, 
to Elizabeth Simpson, who died in the spring of 
1855. He afterward married Charlotte Strang. 
He was a carpenter by trade, and a contractor and 
builder, and came with his pai'ents to this coinity in 
Septend)er, 1855, settling in .Scott Township, where 
he lived until the late war began, when he enlisted, 
July 22, 1801, in Co. C, 7th Iowa Vol. Inf., of 
which he became Second Lieutenant. He was 
severely wounded in the battle at Belmont, Mo., 
and died in hospital at Cairo. 111., Nov. 22, 18(',1, 
and his remains were brought home and liuried in 
the cemeterj' near Olivet. 

Mv. Ream was a man of good ability, uudauuted 
courage, and unflinching loyalty to his country-, 
and was among the first of those who volunteered 
from this county to lay down his life in its defense. 



AMES P. COWAN, a resident of Oskaloosa 
Township, owns and occupies a fine home- 
stead on section 25, which has been in his 
possession since 1868. He was one of the 
pioneer settlers of this locality, coming here while 
Oskaloosa was yet a village, and with his estimable 
wife has reared a famil}' of children. Their lives 
have been attended with the trials and dis.appoint- 
meuts incident to pioneering, but at the same time 
they have had their jo3's .and pleasures, and an 
abiding faith in Providence which has enabled 
them to meet adversity with brave and cheerful 
hearts. All their children have been spared to 
them, and in their comfortable and attractive home 
they are surrounded bj' many friends who have 
learned to both love and respect them for the 
principles of truth and honor which they have made 
the rule of their daily lives and in which they h.ave 
trained their children. 

The subject of this history was born in Wash- 
ington County, Pa., Feb. 22, 1823, and is the son 
of .lolin and Sarah (Proudfit) Cowan, both natives 
of Pennsylvania. The father was born in Alle- 
gheny County in 1789, and the mother in Wash- 
ington County in 1799. Both died the same year, 
1807, .lohn Cowan being seventy-eight 3^ears of 



I! 



m 



m 



>T[ i-^jLi.A-i_L M jTi:iri: i:i)MtJLi^i 1 ■ 
irxiTixiKriiTJiyriiTtxtiferiJJxrpf Urolrri^ l^pxiiri . 









l^^i^l 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



1 

la, 
1 

^ 

i] : 



age and his wife, Sarah V., sixty-eight, 'riii' grantl- 
fatiier of niir suhject, Ilenrv Cowan, was of Irish 
birth and parentage, and h>ft lii? native isle wiien 
a 3'unng man. lie was nniled in marriage willi 
Miss Jane Allen, and they l)eeame the i)arents of 
five sons and fonr daughters. This w^u•m-lle.•u•ted 
old gentleman and his wife lived to an advanced 
age and were held in great respect by the com- 
munity where they lived. His grandfather, .lames 
I'roudfit, was a Scotchman by l)irtli and one of the 
earl}- advocates of the abolition of slavery. His 
farm in \\'ashington Countj', Pa., was .said to have i 
been one of the import.'int stations of the under- ! 
ground railroad, I)}' which many fugitives escajjed 
to freedom. After making for himself a good i 
record as a father, friend and citizen, he passed 
from earth with a clear conscience, at the advanced i 
age of ninety-three years. 

James P. Cowan remained with his parents in 
AUeghenj- County, where the}' moved when he 
was an infant, until fourteen years of age. when the 
familj' removed to Guernsey County, Ohio. There 
he learned the blacksmith's trade, serving his ap- 
prenticeship in Cumberland and working there for 
five years afterward. Then, in the spring of 18;")2, 
he crossed the Mississippi, coming to Iowa, and 
located in this township, of which he has now been 
a resident for nearly thirt^'-five j'ears. He has 
always possessed in a marked degree the industry 
and energy of his forefathers, has lived eeonomi- 
call}- and met his obligations promptly, and each 
year managed to save something from his h(mest 
earnings. In 18GW, as the result of this course, he 
found himself the possessor of sufficient means to 
bu3' a farm, and consequently purchased the home- 
stead which he now occupies. It li.'is inaleriall}' 
changed in appearance since that time. He has 
made many modern iniiirovenients, has a handsome 
and substantial set of frame buildings, everything 
in good order, and in fact all the appliances of a 
first-class farm estate. He has learneil to take good 
care of his accumulations and can look the world in 
the face feeling that he is indebted to no man. 

Mr. Cowan was married, April 10, 1H41I, to Miss 
Clementine Duer, a native of Trumbull County, 
Ohio, -and the daughter of Joseph and Marj' Duer. 
natives of New .Jersey. Karlv in tiieir lives tlieir 




parents had emigrated to Western I'ennsylvania, 
and tliey were there married in Brownsville. 
Thence they removed to Trumbull County, Ohio, 
where they reared ;i family of ten children. To 
our subject and his wife have been born five 
children, of whom the record is as follows: William 
A. is a miller at Beacon, Iowa ; John is a black- 
smith in Oskaloosa; Clarence \'., a minister of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, is stationed in Brook- 
lyn, Iowa; Joseph D. and Mary E. are at home. 

Mr. and Mrs. Cowan have been lifelong mem- 
bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and have 
adorned tlieir (jrofession by blameless lives, and 
are endeavoring to carry out the principles of the 
Master, who commanded that His disciples should 
do unto others as they would that others should do 
unto them. 



'•tfili2/®^^'~M 



m—y^^^i^'m*'- 



0;ri. 



I 



RIAH HAMBLEN, of Prairie Township, 
dates his residence in this county back to 
.854. He was born in Brown County. 
Ind., on the ."ith day of November, 1832, and is 
a son of Pleasant and Millie (AVeddle) Hamblen, 
the former a native of Mrginia, and the latter of 
Tennessee. Thej' were the parents of seven chil- 
dren: One son, William, enlisted in the service 
during the late war, from \\'arren County, Iowa, 
and died of typhoid pneumonia at Camp McClel- 
lan. The six living children are : I'riah; Lnvinia, 
now the wife of Al)el .Markwell. of Kansas; .lames 
T. resides in Brown County, Ind.; John lives in 
Christian County, III.; Nancj- is the widow of 
James Taggart; Pleasant resides in Christian Coun- 
ty, 111. Tlie parents of these children died in 
Brown County, Ind. 

The subject of this sketch, Uriah Hamblen, was 
reared on the farm, and resided at the old home 
until the fall of 18,")4, and was married on the 1st 
day t)f October of that year, to Miss Mary A. 
Cbappell, a native of Brown County, Ind., and to 
them have been born eight children, three of whom 
died in childhood; the five living are Thomas .1., 
John, Mary E., Sarah .1. and Lucy. 

Oct. ^>, IM.Vl, Mr. Hamblen and his wife, accom- 







13 t JTX fJgjIJ 



ITTTlTjam 



.^w. 




358 



panied by a cousin, Lilman Oye, started for the 
West, nnd after a jonnie}- of over three weeks ar- 
rived ill this county. -JMr. Hamblen first settled in 
Blaclv (Jaiv Township, pnrcliased fiftj- acres of land, 
aad commenced to nialio for himself a home. In 
the fall of that year he went to Boone County, 
Iowa, and entered 120 acres of (Government land, 
but, not being well pleased with that section of 
coiintrj', sold it about seven years later, and in 
1865 sold the land in Black Oak Township, pur- 
chased 120 acres of his present farm, which was 
then all raw jjrairie, and settled on the same; he 
now owns 20(1 acres of land, all in good cultivation 
and well improved. 

Mr. Hamblen is a Republican in i)olitics, Imt has 
no otHce-seeking bee in his bonnet. He gives his 
entire attention to stock-fanning, and is one of 
the most successful men engaged in that business 
in the county. He is a man of excellent ability in 
every way, a clear-headed business man and good 
manager. In his relations with the outside world 
he will always be found a man of the strictest in- 
tegrity, honorable and upright in every respect, 
and is much esteemed by all who know him. 



<^ rtUAAAM VEKMILYKA, the owner of 692 
acres of fertile land in Adams Township, 
son of Peter and Mary (Ostihout) Ver- 
milyea, was born in Prince Edwards County, Can- 
ada, Aug. 14, 1831. He came to Iowa in 1866, 
and located in Mahaska County. June 24, 1864, 
he was united in marriage with Miss Jennie Cun- 
ningham, a native of Canada, born Dee. 10, 1846. 
They are the parents of three children : Austinette, 
born Aiiril 21, 186.5; Lottie M., April 25, 1876, 
and Walter C., Aug. 25, 1 879. The children all 
reside at home. 

Mr. \'ermilyea takes no special interest in poli- 
tics, and in exercising the right of suffrage selects 
the best man, regardless of party affiliations. His 
first purchase of land was 160 acres, and the next 
125 acres, to which he h.as added at various times 
since until he now owns a wide extent, as above 
stated, all in a high state of cultivation and ex- 
cellently' improved. Mr. Vermil3'ea has made an 



w 




admirable success of his business and is a wealthy j:i 

man. His "(jod fortune is owing to his intelligence, in 

■ »: 1 

ability and admirable management of his affairs. :r'i 

^ ■ i: 1 

He is a very honorable man, and greatly esteemed ii 
by his friends and acquaintances. 



i^lMOTHY COBBS, of Prairie Township, is a 
resident on section 12. He was born in 
Columbiana County, Ohio, April 23, 1826, 
and is the son of Aiiselm and Ann (Coppock) SjJ 
Cobbs, wlio were united in marriage in 1825. ;,;} 
The former was a native of Virginia, and the latter s|[ 
was born near New Garden, Ohio. Anselm Cobbs |t 
removed with his parents to Ohio when a small i'j\ 
boy, and was inured to the hardships and labors of \'i\ 
farm life, and four times, during his early life, [1;} 
settled in the dense timber land of Ohio, and 
cleared up farms. He came to Iowa in the fall of 
1864, and settled at New Sharon, where he kept H] 
hotel for a short time. He died in 1879, within 
three daj-s of his seventy-eighth liirthday. His 
wife died in Ohio in 1842. They were the parents 
of eight sons ;ind two daughters, six of whom are |Ei 
living. 

Timothj- Cobbs, the subject of this sketch, was 
the oldest child of the family. All his earl}' train- 
ing was upon the farm. In 1851 he was united in 
marriage with Miss Emeline Cattell, a native of 
Mahoning County, Ohio, and a daughter of Joseph Sj 
and Annar (Shreeves) Cattell. Mr. Cobbs con- ^ 
tinned the occupation of farming in Ohio until the 
j'ear 1865, when he came to Iowa, aiid has since 
been a resident of Prairie Township. By his mar- 
riage six children have been born : Lavina, the wife 
of_ Christo(ilu'i- .1. Stanley; Annar, Mrs. Clark T. 
Roberts, and Catherine, wife of J. M. Teague, all 
reside in Washington County, Kan. ; Silas, Ollie 
and Tazetta are at home. 

In his political afflli.itions Mr. Cobbs is a Repub- 
lican, and his religious connection is with the ^ 
Society of Friends. He is the owner of ninety-five !•= i 
acres of land, adjoining the corporate limits of Ei 
New Sharon. His farm is in a high state of eulti- |:i 
vation, with all its improvements of the best char- 
acter. Mr. Cobbs is a man who never assumes a 




HHrjrjrjjrJdddl l 



JH33SESL 



vssEsm. 



{miiiiiimfmminmm 



Eg - 

};l - 
1=1 



l-iH^V^^ 







i 



' tt-'jd 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



'^^■ 



359 



I-;: virtue if he has it not, but pursues the even tenor 
[b? of his wa}', with the sul)limi' consciousness thnt liis 
chaniuter is made up of the strictest Integrity and 
uprightness of life, supplemented )iy the Ciiristi.-ui 
JiB graces. 



JAMES (;HACK, a successful farmer of Mon- 
roe Township, was l)orn in Kilkcnu}', Ire- 
land, ill tile year 1807. He came to America 
in 1821 and to Iowa in 1 8C.5, settlinj-- in 
Black Oak Township, this county. In 1843 he was 
married to Miss C'elia Holllngshead, a native of New 
Jersey. They are the parents of eight children : 
Philip lives in this township; Mary, Anna and Mar- 
garet are deceased ; James, Katie and Hattie reside 
at home ; Ellen is the wife of Henry Stringfellow. 
and resides in Adams Township. 

Politically Mr. C4race is a Democrat, and is a 
member of tiie Roman Catholic Church. His home 
farm consists of 200 acres of fertile land in an ex- 
cellent state of cultivation and well improved. He 
is an energetic, industrious and indefatigable 
worker, a man of a high order of intelligence, and 
a first-class manager of his affairs, and pfissessing 
these qualities has prospered fairly in life. As 
neighbor, citizen and friend, there are none who 
stand higher in the esteem of their acquaintances 
than Mr. Grace. 



--^st^ 



<^5<f-<- 



IS 



i;: 

13 



im 



ISAAC ALLEN, deceased, late a resident of 
Pleasant Grove Township, was born in Morgan 
County, Ky., Dec. 10, 1822. He left his native 
State at the age of twelve 3'ears and went to In- 
diana with his parents, where they remained until 
1802, when they came to Iowa and made settlement 
in Pleasant Grove Township. His father entered 
quite a body of land, whicli Isaac helped him to 
improve. He also entered forty acres on his own 
account and bought another forty from liis father, 
whicii he brought to a good state of cultivation. 

In November, 1849, Mr. Allen was united in 
marriage with Miss Margaret E. Henry, and to 
tliem two children were burn: Tiioiiias. who now 



lives in Nebraska, and Sarah A., who became the 

wife of .Toscph Hogard, and resides in Poweshiek 
t'ouuty. Tlicse children were deprived of a moth- 
er's care wlieii mmv young, and Mr. Allen for liis 
second wife married Elizabeth Rolibins. They 
were united Oct. 1 1. 18;');"), and became the parents 
of six children: Joim and Martha are deceased; 
David AV., Samuel, Mary J. and Francis are at home. 
Politically Mr. Allen was a Democrat, and lieM 
the office of Township Assessor for three terms. 
Himself and wife were members of the Christian 
Church. He was entitled to rank among the early 
pioneers of this county and passed through all the 
privations and hardships so common to settlers in 
that early day. He fairl}- pros])ered in life and was 
an estimable, upright citizen, enjoying the regard 
of all his friends and acquaintances. His death 
took place Oct. 4. 1880; his remains were interred 
in the Boswell Cemetery, in Poweshi«k County. 
Iowa. 




1' 

^ 1 

U 



«'v\/-..-v«ejlC/©^5«<-g^ 




i©?.S/^jr3T>>- -wx^ 



ENRY E\ELAND located on section 1, 
Jefferson Township, in 1853, and yet resides 
on the old homestead. He was bom in 
^ Morgan County, Ohio, Nov. 3, 1828, and 
is a son of William and Hannah (Morris) Eve- 
land. His father was a native of New York and 
his mother of England. When twenty years of 
age William Evelaud, the father of the subject of 
this sketch, moved with his parents from New York 
to Morgan County, Ohio, where he lived twenty 
years and then moved to De Witt Count}', 111. 
While in Ohio he was engaged in the manufacture 
of salt, and after his removal to De Witt County, 
engaged in running a grist and saw mill. He died 
in 1845 at the age of forty -six years, his birth oc- 
curring Sept. 18, 1799. The mother of Henry 
died in 18(35 in Mahaska County, at the age of 
sixty-flve years. 

Henry Eveland was reared on a farm, and in his 
youth assisted his father in the farm work and in 
running the mill. At the age of twenty-five years 
he left Illinois and came to Mahaska County, and 
located on section 1, Jefferson Township, where he 
still resides. In the spring of 1865, he was married 



-a! 

i 



lli 



AJi 



K'Ti 



k 



B 






*»«««'ff« ■■■■■»-■ XXI 




3ZXllJ1t III 11 CT»JV^ _ 



F^ -^ 



t^^^ 



HH? 




860 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



11 



ti) Hiuldasah Campliell, a native of De Witt County, 
111., and daughter of John and 'Slary Campbell. 
Her parents were early settlers of De Witt County, 
111., having'located there about 1820. Her father 
died July 19, 1854, at the age of sixty years. Her 
^^' mother died in 1855, at the age of fifty-one years. 
rjii jvxr. and Mrs. Eveland are the parents of six chil- 
jlx^ dren: William P. died aged two years; Charles, 
now at home ; Mary !Maj', now the wife of Edward 
Evans, of Jefferson Township; Dick and Nellie at 
home; Bird died March 11, 1873, aged fourteen 
years. 

Mr. Eveland is a member of the Masonic frater- 
nity. Among the local otliees he has held have 
been those ot^Township Trustee and Road .Super- 
visor. For eight 3'ears after coming to Mahaska 
County Mr. Eveland ran a ferry across the river 
near his residence. Success has crowned his efforts, 
and he is now the owner of 573 acres of fine land, 
nearly all of whichQis ^under'^improvement. He 
makes a specialty of fine draft horses of high grade. 
He also turns off about fifty head of hogs each 
year. He is a well-known and highlj' respected 
citizen of Mahaska^County and seems to enjoy life 
well. 

Mr. Eveland had two brothers in the late Civil 
War. Richard H. was in ;the 3d Iowa Infantry, 
and was killed July 22, 1864, at^the battle of At- 
lanta; Robert was in the" 18th Iowa Infantry, and 
served till the close'of.the war. 



■•o»o.-@^,A^..o4o.. 



f AMES t). COFFEE, of Barnes City, was born 
in Rock Island County, 111., Sept. 5, 18G4. 
He came to Iowa with his parents and re- 
(^^7/ sided with them in Grundy County for sev- 
eral years, removing thence to the old home in Illi- 
nois, but staid there only a short time, coming 
thence to Mahaska County and settling in Pleasant 
Grove Township, where his father jjurchased eighty 
acres of land. The latter died April 20, 1884. His 
mother and brother John reside upon anil conduct 
the farm. 

James O. learned the art of telegraphy in 1883, 
and in the year 1884 received the appointment of 
vailway agent and telegraph operator at Harnes 



City. These positions he has filled to the entire 
acceptance of his superiors in authority, as well as 
to the patrons of the road in and about the station. 
He possesses an adaptati<in for the business, is a 
young man of fine business talent, with an ambition 
to do his every duty in an acceptalile manner, and 
it is easy to foresee that in the near future there is 
a place yet higher for the exercise of his ability, 
and that he wiU reach the summit of his ambition. 
His political affiliations are with the Reimbliean 
party. 



SAAC G. SHOEMAKE, a highly respected far- 
mer of Madison Township, was born in the 
Ji State of Indiana, April 8, 1839, and is the son 
of Enoch and Desdemona (Nicols) Shoemake. His 
father was a native of Ohio and his mother of In- 
diana. They came to Iowa in 1840, and located in 
Jefferson County, where they resided for three 
years, then came to this county and settled in Madi- 
son Township, where they took up a claim and im- 
proved it. Isaac G. remained at home working 
with his father upon the farm until the outbreak of 
the late rebellion, when he enlisted in Co. H, 8th 
Iowa Vol. Inf., and served with his regiment until 
the close of the war, participating in many battles 
and skirmishes, and faithfully and bravely perform- 
ing his duty as a soldier. 

After the war Mr. Shoemake returned to his home 
in this county, and on March 30, 1864, was united 
in marriage with Miss Ruth A. Williams, a daughter 
of Charles and Ruth (Anderson) Williams, natives 
of Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Shoemake are the parents 
of ten children : William, deceased ; Maggie and 
Bertha, at home ; John, deceased ; Rupert, Charles, 
Hattie and Lena, at home; Carl, deceased, and 
Delia, at home. 

Mr. Shoemake is an active, wide-awake Repub- 
lican, and a member of the G. A. R. He is Presi- 
dent of the School Board in his district, and the 
friend and encourager of education. His home 
farm consists of 200 acres of fine land in an excel- 
lent state of cultivation, and supplied with the bet- 
ter class of improvements. He is a man of more 
than ordin.ary intelligence and fine business abilitj', 



m 



-■X 



m 
p 



i 

Si 




„--- i 







liiS 



13 



I St 

li 

li 

l-C 

1 = S 
US 



I 



II 



ii 

1 
I 



}51 



lit 
>-P 



X z 



ami has made a success of his avt)e:itioii. lie pos- 
sesses those qualities which constitute a first-class 
citizen, and enjo3's the confidence and regard of liis 
acquaintances and friends. 



\f?AMf;s W. FINLKY, :i well-known citizen of 
Spring Creek Township, resides upon sec- 
tion 30, and is engaged in general farming 
^^Jj and stock-raising. He was born in Guern- 
sey, now Noble County, Ohio, June 6, 18:i2, and 
is the son of Daniel and Nanc\- (Roe) Finley, the 
former a native of Shenandoah Valley, Va., and 
the latter of the eastern shore of Maryland. In 
childhood tliey were taken bj- their parents to 
Ohio, where they liecaine acquainted and were sub- 
sequeutlj- united in marriage. Ten children were 
l>orn of this union, tliree sons and seven daughters, 
of vviiom the three sous only are now living: .Tames 
W.. the subject of this sketch; Thomas M., a 
machinist of Ottumwa, Iowa; Samuel J., Principal 
of the public schools of (Quaker Citj', Ohi(». 

Daniel, the father of our subject, was by occupa- 
tion a farmer, and, moving to Ohio when the 
greater portion of the State was unoccupied terri- 
tory, he endured all the toils and privations of pio- 
neer life. He and his wife were consistent mem- 
bers of the Lutheran Church, respected and loved 
by all who knew them. Daniel Finley died Sept. 
.5, l.s(i'>, and his wife June 12, 18S;5. 

James W. Finley was the oldest child of tiie fam- 
ily', and as a matter of course, living upon a farm, 
he was soon made acquainted with the duties of a 
farmer's si>n. I'ntil nineteen years of age he as- 
sisted his father upon the farm in the summer and 
attended the district school in the winter. The 
winter following lus nineteenth birthdaj-, he went 
to Batesville, Ohio, and entered tiie High School 
there. The next summer he returned to the farm 
.■md assisted his father until winter, when he was 
>olicited to teach the school of his home district, 
wliere he had himself attended for so manj^ win- 
ters. Accepting the position, he filled it success- 
fully, and in the spring of 1853 entered Wittenburg 
College at Springfield, Ohio, attending during the 
spring and summer. In the winter of 1853-."j4, he 




r4 



mm 



again taught a term of school in a district adjoin- h 
ing the first. 

Young Finley now desiring to see something 
more of the world, together witli a laudable ambi- 
tion of bettering his fortune, determined to visit! 
California, and in the fall of 1854 he made the trip 
to the New Eldorado, Viy way of the Isthmus of 
Panama, where he remained five years engaged in 
hj^draulic mining, in which he was fairly successful. 
He then returned tv his home in Ohio to visit his 
parents, with the intention of remaining but a few 
mouths. Init "the l)est laid schemes of mice and 
men gang oft aglee," saj's the poet Burns. On his 
arrival home he found his mother in delicate health, 
and for her sake he postponed his retuin to Cali- 
fornia, and finally abandoned the idea altogether. 

Up to this time Mr. Finlej' was "heart free," but 
believing it was not good for man to live alone, on 
the 19th da}- of November, 18G1, he was married 
to Elizabeth Jones, wdio was a native of Ohio, born 
Dec. 13, 1840, and the daughter of Thomas and 
Sabrah (Robinson) Jones. To them have been 
born eight children : Thomas D. died in infancy ; 
iSabrah F. died at thirteen years of age; Iowa I., 
INIary A. and .Samuel J. died in infancy' ; the others 
are Ann Liza, Carl \V. and Pearl M. After hi; 
marriage, Mr. F'inley engaged in farming in his na 
tive State for two ^-ears, and in the spring c)f 1864, ■]:. i] 
with his family, moved to Mahaska Count}-, and for J, j 
a few months was a citizen of Oskaloosa. While {p;j|i 
living in this city he was on the lookout for a good '^^i 
farm in its vicinity, and finding one to his satisfac- 
tion on sections 29, 31 and 32, .Spring Creek Town- 
ship, he purchased and moved on it in March, 
1 865. His father dying in September following, as .f. 
already stated, Mr. Finley returned to Ohio to as- II!: 
sist in settling up the estate. He was appcjinted 
administrator, and knowing that it would take a 
long time to close it up, returned to Mahaska 
County in the spring of 1860, packed up and stored 
his household goods, rented his farm, and took his 
familj- back to Ohio, where they remained until the 
spring of 1869. The business requiring his atten- 
tion now being satisfactorily .settled, he returned 
to his farm in Spring Creek Township. Mr. Fin- 
ley, in 1882, added to his original purchase eight}' 
acres on section 30, but adjoining the home 



il 




IT^llg 



'^ |-:t_t ji°f^ .j^p KfT^ "^Hg 



zxxxxxxxxx-z: 



T» »i V * X I 



Kipi 



X rzxx XIZZX3 z z x: 



inxm rxn tTTxnn I m H 



a^i!t 



366 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 




place. To the new farm he subsequentlj^ moved. 
The whole now consists of 240 ncres of excellent 
farming land, all of which is underlaid with a thick 
vein of bituminous coal of the best quality, and a 
shaft has been opened on the place. The land is 
well improved, and the buildings and other nuxil- 
iaries are of the best quality. 

Mr. Finley is a member of the Masonic fra- 
ternity. His wife is a member of the Methodist 
Episcojjal Church. Politically he is a Greenbacker. 
He keenl}- appreciates the demand of the country 
for constant watchfulness and protection against the 
frequent endeavors of the money power to control 
legislation. In his business of farming he has 
made a* success, and in his transactions with others 
he is honorable and upright, and enjoj's the respect 
of neighbors and friends. 

We herewith present excellent portraits of ]Mr. 
and Mrs. Finley, which will be viewed with pleas- 
ure by their friends, who are legion. 



-#^^ 




^- 






A. HIMES, a well-known and highly re- 
spected resident of Garfield Township, was 
born in Pennsylvania in IiS4(J,and is a son 
of Jacob and Mary A. (Lamer) Himes, 
whose biography- appears elsewhere in this volume. 
Our subject came to this countj' in May, 1856, and 
settled on section .32 of Garfield Township, remain- 
ing there one year, thence removed to section 10, 
of Scott Township, where he remained three years, 
and then again to section 5, of Garfield Township, 
where he lived thirteen years. He then went to 
Adams County, in the western part of the State, 
and purchased a quarter section of laud, which he 
improved and lived upon from 1873 to 1877, when 
he came back to (iarfield Township and purchased 
the seventy-tive acres of land on section 4, where 
he now resides. 

Mr. Himes was married. Oct. 13, 187.i, to Sarah 
A. Dixon, daughter of Hon. John N. Dixon, whose 
))iogTaphy appears elsewhere in this book. To them 
have been liorn two children: Mary Elizabeth, 
Sept. 30, 1«7(;, and John Jacob, April 10. 1878. 
Mr. Himes owns altogether •23.') acres of land, all 
of which is in cultivation. His wife is a member 




of the Christian Church. He is a member of the 3 [{ 

Masonic fraternit}-, belonging to Hiram Chapter No. S;}} 

6. R. A. M. =; 

Mr. Himes and his estimable wife are highly re- it 

Bl 
garded wherever the circle of their acquaintance S[ 

extends. Theirs is a hospitable home, where exists a" 

plenty and to spare, and where the really needy a?ti 

ones are never turned empty away. He is an up- ji i 

right, honorable man in all his dealings in life, and b 

merits and receives in a superlative degree the ap- 2: 

pellation of a good citizen. 



I 
I 
1 

I 
1 

:1 

r. I 

,^RANKLIN P. BHEWER is the third son Sfl 

\U/L „* ir ^ ,T„1„., ,A,,..„.V TJ „.,,-, 5i| 

resides upon section 12, in Jefferson Town- Jii 

11 

and was reared upon his father's farm in Des gjii 
Moines Township. All the educational advantages |ii 
that he received were such as could be obtained in r i 
the common schools of this county. ii^ 

In 1876 ISIr. Brewer was united in marriage with s;;[j 
Miss Samantha Belle ^'^anee, a native of Wapello gji 
County, born March 9. 18;')7, the daughter 
Bradley and Louisa (Crenshaw) Vance 



yi of Harry and Helen (Adams) Brewer, and p 
resides upon section 12, in Jefferson Town 
ship. He was born in this county, Nov. 26, 1852 



of 



Br I 

They S-i 

an 

have two children: Ernest Noble, born Aug. 16, 5:1 

1877, and William Orville, March 29, 18,S0. W 

The homestead of our subject consists of 174 iw 

SI' 1 
acres of land, 114 of which is under cultivation. Bji 

He moved upon his present farm in 187.S, where he GEi 

Q[: I 

has since continued to reside. In his farming op- Sfi 
erations he makes no specialty of any particular Bti 
line, but devotes his time to raising gxain and all p} 
kinds of stock which he may consider valuable. a|} 
Born and reared in this county, he has a particular Bw 
love for the same, and is in all respects a useful and 
worthy citizen. Mr. Brewer is a member of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, .and also of the 1. (). 
O. F. 



E. McDonald, of spring Creek Township, 
owns and occupies a pleasant home on sec- 
tion 10. He was born in Armstrong County, 
Pa., March 1, 1841, and is a st)n of Joseph and 
Ruth (Stephenson) IMcDonald, both of whom are 























f 



ixiznicn nxi'- 






1?: 



3E 



I 



II 



1 :* 



if!: 



irfc 
UP 
1$ 



iriS 



ll -. ■■■..■■. -,.. ■ ^iitTriTTn ). 



TTT TaTTTTTTITTI I. 




MAHASKA COUNTY. 



367 IS 



natives of Peiinsj'lvania, and are of Scotch and 
German ancestry. Thej' left the Kej'stone State in 
18.53, came to loiva and engaged in farming, and 
are yet living in this township, following that occu- 
pation. 

The subject of this sketch received careful home 
training and a common-school education, and after 
arriving at man's estate was married, Dec. 15, 187.5, 
to Mrs. Isabel (Greer) Sprowl, widow of Hugh 
Sprowl. By this marriage there have been three 
children — Walter H., Nelly M., and one child who 
died in infancy. 

Mr. McDonald's farm of fifty acres is mostly un- 
der fence, and he has a good house and other im- 
provements. Himself and wife are members of 
the United Presbj'terian Church. Politically he is 
a Republican of the stalwart order, but aspires to 
none of its emoluments or offices. He is at present 
serving as School Director in his district, which p(j- 
sition he fills in a creditable manner, and is regarded 
among those who know him best as an honorable, 
upright and conscientious Christian geutleman. 

■ I i « J 

/^ OL. .lOHN LOPLAND has been a resident 
III ^ of Mahaska County for a third of a century, 
^^^' during which time he has witnessed many 
changes, and has been an active factor in mau3' of 
the stirring events of the time. He is a native of 
the great Buckej'e State, the State that has given 
to the country such eminent men as Grant, (iarfield. 
Wade, Sherman, Corwiii, and others, and was born 
in Belmont County. .Ian. 10. lS3i). His father, 
.loseph Lortand, was a native of .Maryland, while 
his mother, Klizabeth (Lippincott) LoHand, was a 
native of Pennsylvania. Both emigrated to Ohio 
at a very early <lay, when tliat present populous 
.State was but little better than a wilderness, there 
became acquainted, were married, reared a family 
of four children, three sons and one daughter, and 
there both died, the former in 1857, at the age of 
sixt}' -eight, and the latter in 187H. at the age of 
eighty-eight years. 

John UoHand, the subject of this sketch, was 
reared upon a farm, and there remained till sixteen 
years of age, assisting his father in its cultivation, 



r: 



and as opportunity offered, attending the common 
schools of the neighborhood in which the family 
lived. When he was sixteen he entered upon a four 
years' apprenticeship to learn the trade of a watch- 
maker and jeweler, in Cambridge, Ohio. At the 
expiration of his apprenticeship, and when but 
twenty years of age, he went to Cadiz, Ohio, pur- 
chased a jewelry store, and commenced his mercan- 
tile career. 

About a year afterwai'd, on the 4th day of De- 
cember, 1851, M. Lofland was united in man-iage 
with Sarah J. Bartlett, a native of Harrison Couutj', 
Ohio, born in April, 1 830, and a daughter of George 
and Ursula (Wj'coff) Bartlett, both of whom have 
since died. Four children have been born unto 
them. One daughter died in infancy. The other 
children were: George B., born Jan. 'IS, 1854, and 
died Jan. 28, 1874, upon his twentieth birthday; 
Frank C, born in 1856, was for about twelve years 
a clerk in the Oskaloosa post-office; Charles E. is 
now cashier of the Oskaloosa National Bank. 

Believing the West a better field for business, in 
1854 Mr. Lofland sold out in Ohio and came to 
Mahaska County, locating in Oskaloosa, where for 
the next three years he engaged in the marble bus- 
iness. He then purchased the watchmaking and 
jewelry- establishment of S. H. Chapman, who 
moved to Newton, Jasper County, from which place 
he subsequently entered the arm_y. Early in 1861, 
the war having commenced. John W. Irwin, another 
jeweler in Oskaloosa, desiring to enter the service, 
Mr. Lofland purchased his establishment, uniting 
the stocks of the two. The w\ar for the Union now 
being in active progress, and call after call being 
made for more men to put down the rebel'.ion, .Mr. 
Lofland could no longer resist the appeal. The 
service being too hard for Mr. Ciiapman, he was dis- 
charged, and in the summer of 18G2 returned to 
Oskaloosa. A trade was soon effected between him 
and Mr. Lolland, and Mr. Chapman became the 
owner of the lattcr's stock of goods. Being free 
from all business engagements, Mr. Lofland pro- 
ceeded to raise a company for the service, and in 
August, 1862, Co. D, 33d Iowa Vol. Inf., was sworn 
into the service, with Mr. L. .as Captain. The regi- 
ment was soon ordered to the field, and its record 
is well known to all wlio are familial- witli Iowa's 





nxttxrilxl-H-lllxjmxiirm 







mciminiui 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



tapt 







c. 



part in the war. Suffice it to say, its recorrl is m 
conimeiuliible one, it seeing as nuicU hard service 
as any other regiment from the State, during the 
time of its enlistment. Its lirst important service 
was in the Yazoo Pass expedition in the rear of 
Mcksbnrg, during which time the attack upon Ft. 
Peniberton was made. Then followed the battles 
of Helena. Little Rock, Camden, Jenkin's Ferry, 
Spanish Fort, Blakely and Mobile, together with 
numerous smaller engagements and raids. 

In August, 18G:3, Capt. Lofiand was promoted 
over the Major and three Captains, his seniors in 
rank, to the Lieutenant Colonelcy of the regiment. 
From the time of his promotion till the final mus- 
ter nut of the regiment at Davenport, Iowa, in 
August, ISC).'), CoL Lofland was almost continually 
in command. As an officer, he was a man of un- 
flinching courage, though never foolhardy. He 
had the confidence of the entire regiment and none 
would refuse to follow his lead. Though a strict 
disciplinarian, his men all respected and loved him, 
and th;it atfectionate regard he retains to this day. 
Returning from the army. Col. Lotland soon after- 
ward moved, to a farm, and for three years followed 
the occupation of a farmer. In August, 18GG, he 
entered the Internal Re venue. Service as Assistant 
Assessor, with headquarters at Oskaloosa, continu- 
ing to act as such till 1873, when he was appointed 
Deputy Collector of Internal Revenue. He dis- 
charged the duties of this latter ofHce till August, 
1882, when, iiaving been duly proved, he was ap- 
pointed Internal Revenue Agent, which position 
he still retains. As a revenue agent he has made 
an enviable record, and has been sent on the most 
difficult missions in almost every section of the 
country. It maj' not be well known, but as revenue 
agent he has supervision of every part of the In- 
ternal Revenue system in the section to which he is 
assigned, and therefore all the liquor interests come 
under his observation, and it requires a very sharp 
man to "pull the wool over his eyes" in the least. 
To Col. Lotland is given the credit of discovering 
the frauds practiced by the Cincinnati manufact- 
urers by the use of false staves in the barrels, by 
ii which the (ioverument was defrauded out of large 
Jy sums of money. Discovering the fraud, the man- 
j ufacturers were compelled to make good the amount 

y 



d 3 -fii 



out of which the Government was defrauded, an 
were otherwise punished as the law directs. Col. g; 



3sru 
Lofland has now had eighteen years' continual serv- C^^ 

ice in the revenue department of the (^ener 

f4overnment, and is to-day one of the oldest officers ^\^ 

in that branch of the service. That he is a faithful 



officer is attested by his retention by the present » jj 



administration. Those in authority know full well j 
his record, his faithfulness in the discharge of every Jj J 
duty, and that bribe-givers stand no show with him. » j 

1 
1 
1 
1 
I 
I 



Those with whom he is brought in contact in ■•, 
his official relations, know that he treats every man ji 
alike, without fear or favor, and so long as they S' 
act honestly toward the Government there is noth-5;[} 
ing in him to fear. Such a reputation is to be 
l)rized above all things. 



In early life Col. Lotland was politically a Whig, 



1 

m 

-1 



but on the organization of the Republican party, 
became an advocate of its principles, and continues H';} 
as such to this daj', never having swerved in the |j} 
least from the teachings of the party. In a per- f: 
sonal notice, the Louisville Covricr-.TouniaJ said a!; 
that he was "'an intense Republican, though not an 5ji} 
offensive partisan." That is, as an officer of the k\\ 
Government, he knew no politics, but as a citizen, ^ 
he did in)t hesitate to advocate upon all proper oc- gch 
casions tlK)se views he believed to be right, and that g; i 
he thought would best advance the interests of his %\ 
country. Se i 

Religiously Col. Lofland is connected with the "|i 
Presbyterian Church, of which body his wife is also ai;[i 
a member. Socially he is a man who has the respect '^yn 
and good-will of all by whom he is known. As a ar ^ 
citizen he is ever read)' to do his duty upon every §! 
occasion. h!:i 

"ilJOHN WAGGONER, one of the old citizens IR 

31" i 
of Oskaloosa, and a gentleman who has done aei 

much tow.ard the advancement of that city, 3|i 

having resided there since 1851, is a con 



tractor and 



)uilder. which business he is conduct 



mduct- 5pi 
as born 3= i 



ing with more than ordinary success. He wa 

in Coshocton, Coshocton Co., Ohio, June 1(5, 1824, 3j;|} 

and is a son of David and Sarah \Vaggoni 

of Pennsylvania, and of (rcrman descent. 



and is a son of David and Sarah \Vaggoner, natives pi 

1 

Sfl 

Mr. Waggoner was reared in his native State and a;;i 




L^r^^HHM 



rw 



i :1m 



=1! 



I 

I 
I 
i; 

i; 
i; 

i 
i 



M 

il 

'if 
13; 

I 



i there lived until lie attained the age of manhood. 
lie learned tiio cabinet-maker's trade in liis iialivc! 
I town and caiiio to this county, locating' at Osiva- 
loosa in Ibi.Mi. lie reinainc'(l, however, hut a short 
time, then returned East, and the fulluwiny year, 
18.")1, came back to Oskaloosa, and, in C()mi)an3' 
witli Dr. Dawson, engaged in general merciiandis- 
ing. Dr. Dawson was an early settler here, and in 
1870 moved to California, where he has since died. 
The partncrsiiii) continued until 1855, when our 
subject disposed of his interest to Dr. Dawson and, 
in partncrshii) with Hamilton and Thompson, un- 
der the lirm name of llaniiltou, Thom[ison iV- Co., 
engaged in thi' furniture business. Mr. W.aggoner 
managed the l)usiiu^ss, and the firm continued in the 
manufacture of and wholesale trade in furniture 
from 18G0 until iscs. .Mr. Waggoner then <lis- 
posed of liis interest and engaged as contractor anil 
builder. In 1871 he put up three of the luiildiugs 
in the Exchange Block, and since that time has 
built many brick blocks and a large number of the 
best residences in tlie city. In 1877 he bought the 
brick planing-mill on Liberty street, and conducted 
that business until September, 1885, when he sold 
the property to Mr. Hamilton, and since that time 
has confined himself to contracting and building. 

John Waggoner was married, Oct. 8, 1855, at 
Oskaloosa, to Miss Hettie F., daughter of Alvin and 
Elizabeth Coe. .she was liorn m Henry Count}-, 
and by her union with our subject has two chil- 
dren. David and Sarali E. The son is practicing 
law in Oskaloosa. Mrs. Waggoner de[)arted this 
life Aug. 1'2, 18t)5. .She was a good, kind. Chris- 
tian woman, and a member of the Methodist Episco- 
l)al Cliurrli. Our subject is a member of the same 
church, and in politics votes with tiie Reijulilican 
l)arty. 

^^ #^B ^^ 

OFTL'.S Fox, of I'ralrie Township, resitle,> 
on section 2(). lie wa.'- Ijorn in Lagrange 
Count}', Ind., Aug. 14, 1844, and isasouof 
Loftns and .lane M. (.McCutciiin) Fox, natives of 
Ireland, tiic former born in Waterford and the lat- 
ter in l.ongford. They ranii' to this country .>oiiii 
after their marriage, and after slopping a simrt timi' 
in Ohio, settled in Lagrange Count}', Ind.. whcic 



the mother died about IS.'SO, the father surviving 
her aliout thirty 3'ears; he died in Pejjin County, 
Wis. The subject of our sketch, Loftns Fox, while 
yet a small boy, lemoved with his father to Pepin 
Count}', Wis., and grew to manhood on the farm, 
residing there until 1871, when he came to Iowa 
and purchased Kill .acres of raw prairie, which is 
still a part of his extensive f.arm. 

April 19, 187a, at Monmouth, 111., Mr. Fox w.as 
married to .Miss Emma Shuesler, a native of War- 
ren Count}', 111. They are the parents of five chil- 
dren — (ieorge, Alice Leota, ]\Iildred, Edward and 
Willie. Politically Mr. Fox is a Democrat, but 
takes no further interest in politics than to do his 
duty at the polls; he has never united with any re- 
ligious or secret society. He gives his entire atten- 
tion to stock farming, in which he has been unusu- 
ally successful, and owns 520 acres of splendid 
land, all of which is under cultivation and well im- 
proved. He is one of the largest stock-raisers in 
the county, and ranks annmg the heaviest tax-pay- 
ers. He gives close attention to his business, is 
prudent in the management of his affairs, and 
strictly honorable in his dealings, and is a man who 
enjoys to the fullest degree the confidence and re- 
spect of his friends. 



'AMES M. DHENXAJs, of Prairie Township, 
residing on section 35, w.as born in County 
Down, in the North of Ireland. Nov. 17, 
/ 1841, and is a son of William and Ellen 
(Henry) Dreiinaii. The father died in Ireland in 
1855, and his widdw rnine to the United States in 
1 sd.'i, l(>f;\ting in Dane County, Wis., and resided 
there until 18(;5, when she came to Iowa, settled in 
this county and remained until 1884, when she sold 
her farm and removed to Adams County, her i)res- 
ent home. 

James M., tin' >ubject of this sketch, is the oldest 
of .seven children. He came to the United .Stiites 
ill 1 8(il . locating in Dane County, Wis., where in 
IsCmS he was married to Flora (!etz, a ii.'itive of 
\\ isconsin. They are the parents of seven chil- 
cli'cii — lessie .May, .Sarah Anna. William E.. Jaiuo 
!,.. ( liarles Harry, (ieorge (>. and Clyde E. 




mm 



1 -iiiriiiiiii ixn 1 



ii-iiiiixurxu 



iiiriT iK xa xj Kf»-»"»»«jTTTy" 



E^ixx 






;S5 



370 







MAHASKA 



rj JHHiturTJiztiiiiiniiiii-* J" e>sj^-^ ^ii 



COUNTY. 



The following are the name? of the brothers and 
sisters of Mr. Drennan who are yet living, all of 
whom are residents of Adams County, Iowa : W"M- 
iani ; Effie. wife of Joseph Septer; Joseph, David, and 
Robert. Mr. Drennan came to Iowa in 1 868, settling 
in Prairie Township, and at first purchased 1 60 aci'es 
of raw prairie land, to which additions have been 
made, until he now owns 240 acres of excellent 
land, all in a good state of cultivation and well im- 
proved. His buildings and other appurtenances 
are of the best quality, and specially adapted to his 
business, which is that of general farming and 
stock-raising, in the latter branch of which he has 
been quite successful, and has realized therefrom a 
considerable revenue. 

Mr. Drennan is systematic and thorough-going in 
his business. He is a man of great energy and in- 
dustry, and nn excellent manager. Personall}' he 
WM I is greatly esteemed as a man of strict integi'ity and 
^^U very honorable in his transactions with everyone, 
Hj DJ and is numbered as one of the leading citizens of 
' Prairie Township. Politicallj- he is a Republican, 
and has held several local offices in the township. 
He is also a member of the Masonic fraternity. 





ENJAMIN F. SH0P:MAKE, of Madison 
Township, is a native of this county, born 
Aug. 11, 1861, and is a son of Wesle}' 
and Elizabeth (Coffin) Shoemake. The 
father is a native of Iowa, born in Jefferson County 
in 1841, and removed with his parents to this 
count}' in 1843. The mother is a native of In- 
diana, born in lfS42. IMr. .Shoemake received his 
rudimentary education in the common schools, which 
was supplemented by two 3'ears' attendance at Penn 
College. 

Nov. 6, 1884. our subject was united in 
t3 marriage to Miss Cora Else, a daugkter of John .1. 
and Susanna (Gearhart) Else, for biographj' of 
whom see elsewhere in this volume. She was born 
2. 



HHHg 

m Feb, 




1868. 



Bj' this marriage there is one 



1|i child. Wildia Grace, born Sept. 20, 1885. 
ri dJiria Politically Mr. Shoemake is an ardent 



Hepul 



lican. Himself and wife are members of the Church jh 
of (iod. Mr. .Shoemake occupies the position of ;:;i 
■J'reasurer of his School District. He is the owner 
of 1011 acres of first class, highly cultivated and 2; 
well-improved land, and follows mixed farming, but S; 
makes a specialty of stock-raising, mostly hogs and gi; 
cattle. He is a young man of considerable push, ^l^ 
coupled with large intelligence and cap.ability. and 
is possessed <>f .i laudable ambition to make life a ^l 
success, and is prospering finely, thanks to tiie pru- 
dent management of his affairs. He merits and re- 
ceives the esteem of his numerous friends and ac- 
quaintances. 



■^ 



' ^^ ' y 



TJO^^fi.^ 



■^ 



OHN .1. ELSE, a resident uf Madison Town- 
ship, was born in the State of Ohio, Oct. 6, 
1 835, and is a son of Henry and Elizabeth 
(Whitaker) Else, who were natives of Penn- 
sylvania. Our subject came to Iowa with his par- 



ents in the year 1852, lived with them until he had !>f} 
attained his majority, and then purchased some ^p 

lift 



land and Ijegan the business of life on his own ac 
count 



July 4, 1858, he was married to Miss -ij} 
Susan Gearhart, a daughter of Ezekiel and Susanna ;|i[ 
(Bateman) Gearhart, the former a native of Dela- -^n 
ware, and the latter of New Jersey. B3' this union 
there have been seven children: William is a resi- 
dent of Kansas; Eddie is deceased ; Minnie is the 
wife of W. Carroll, and lives in Nebraska; Cora is 
the wife of Frank Shoemake. of this township; E?| 
Lewis, Fred and Frank are living at home. The -'t* 
mother of these children died in April, 1873. and 
Mr. Else was again married, in 1879, to Miss Jen- 
nie Greene, a native of Illinois, born in 1845. By 
this latter marriage there .ire two children — John 
and Alfred. 

Politically Mr. Else is a Republican, and the 
present Treasurer of Madison Township. He is 
the owner of 765 .acres of land in this county, and 
400 in AVashington County, Kan. His home farm 
is very fine land, in an excellent state of cultiva- jlj 
tion and well imijroved, and, while he engages in 3E 
general farming, makes a specialty of raising hogs jj; 
and cattle, lie brings to the discharge of the busi- 






EH33aa 

HiiTTrril ' 




ness of life a high order of intelligence and ability, 
has prospered well, and is not only one of the best 
fanners of that section, but also in the county. lie 
is a high-minded, honorable citizen, of the strictest 
integrity, and fully deserving of the esteem :iiid 
confidence in which he is generally- held. 




ijjS Anna (Hassigg) .Smith, were :dsu natives of (ier- 
Ji| many. In 1,h2.s the family cmigiatcil to the Tnited 
^- States, first locating; in SUnk County. Oiiio, where 
tlu'V rcmaiiRil until is.'lT. removin'; ilurini;- thai 



T'AH(.)N MIDOLKTON, a retired farmer of 
Pleasant Grove Township, was boni in the 
State of New Jersey, Feb. 15, l.silil. In 
the year 1 .Soo he came West to Iowa, set- 
tling in Scott Count3', where he resided for sixteen 
years, then came to Mahaska County, locating in 
Pleasant (Jrove Township, and bought his present 
farm of ItU) acres, which he has brought to au ex- 
cellent stiite of cultivation, and upon whicli the im- 
provements are of the best class. 

In Februar3', 184(1, Mr. Middleton was married 
U) Miss Deborah Stearns, which union has been 
blest by the birth of the following children: Zach- 
ary T. is at home; Ellen is the wife of H. Chandler, 
and lives in Kansas; Deborah is the wife of Martin 
Nolen. and resides in New .Tersey; Samuel died in 
1K5(). 

Politically Mr. Middleton is a Republican. His 
life has been fairly- successful, and in his advancing 
years he is living in comparative ease because of 
the labors of his early days, and his careful and 
prudent management of his affaii's. As a citizen, 
friend and neighbor he enjoys the high esteem of a 
large circle of friends, and can look back over his 
past life with the reflection that there is no jjage of 
all its record that he desires to have ei-ased. 



^OHN H. SMITH, residing on section 21, 
Black Oak Tc»wnship, is one of the pioneers 
of 18.51. He is a native of .Vlsace, (ierman}', 
born -.Ian. 22, 1 82(;. lli> parents, .lohn and 



fe; 



mm 



year to Elkhart County, Ind. They were thus 
pioneers in two States, and have lived to witness the 
great changes that have occurred in those com- 
mn wealths. The father died inl.s78, aged seventy- 
eight. The mother still lives in Elkhart Countj', at the 
ripe old a^e of eightj'-two years, having been born 
April HI. 1805. There were six children in the 
family, ail born in the United .States except John II. ; 
Of the number three arc ^et living: John II.; 
Margaret, wife of Michael Hoover, residing in Ca.ss 
County, Mich., and George, now living on the 
home farm in Elkhart County, Ind. 

John II. Smith, the subject of this sketch, was 
reared on a farm and received only a common - 
school education. In 1848 he was united in nuir- 
riage to Polly S. Hennett, a native of .Stark County, 
Ohiii, born Sept. 25, 1830. by whom lu' has 
had six children: Eleanor J., Ephram, Ira; Izora, 
wife of Reason Ryan; George W., and Florence E.. 
wife of Frank Porter. In 1849, in company witii 
his wife's father, Mr. Smith come to Iowa and 
entered land in Black Oak Township, and in 1851 
moved here with his family. At this time the coun- 
try was new and all the hardshiits and i)rivations 
of pioneer life had to be endured. There were no 
railroads in the State and all produce was hauled 
l(jng distances to reach a market. An inventory of 
his possessions when he settled in this county footed 
up as follows: Eighty acres of raw land, a team of 
horses, an old lumber wagon, and $54 in cash. But 
above all he had good health, strong arms, a resolute 
will, and a wife who was truly a helpmeet. Thej' 
determined to succeed, and to that end bent all 
their energies, and success has crowned their ef- 
forts. They now possess one of the best farms in 
.Mahaska County, comprising 330 acres of land, all jii;:, I! 
of which is under cultivation save ten acres, which ^fijl! 
is timber. Their present commodious residence 93f=ii 
was erected in 18G8-G9, and is among the ttnestfarin 
residences in the SUite, costing $8,350. It is a two- 
story frame structure, 40x42 feet in size. To each 
of his children arriving at the age of twenty-two 
years, Mr. Smith lias given $3,750 in cash or its 
equivalent in land, thus giving them a good start in 
life. With the example of their parents l)efore 
them, and inheriting their energy and thrift, it is 
nut to be ilonlited tluil each one will in time, add 



iisa 




I "*':tar 



3SsfS 



rrxxixii rTTnirxn nnix miiT-'' 



l?at 



372 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



iixixxxxjTxrrtrrxnrirrrmrruK ' tjgJlj g; 



r: 



ii 





to his or her possessions, and be ranlced among- the 
thrifty and enterprising pe<jple. 

Though born in a foreign land. Mr. Smith has 
much of the drive and push of tlie Yankee, tem- 
pered with the eauti(jn and conservativeness of the 
German race. Never speculating, he lias by hard 
work and economy provided for his children as 
stated, and laid by a competency for old age. For 
years he was a stockholder in the Farmer's and 
Trader's Bank of Oskaloosa, and until its re-organi- 
zation as a National Bank was one of its Directors. 
At that time he resigned his position in favor of 
H. W. McNeill, but in January, 1887, he was again 
elected as a Director, and is now serving as such. 
Believing that he had worked hard enough to lie en- 
titled to a little relaxation, in 1880 he made a trip 
to Europe, landing at Antwerp, traveling through 
Belgium, Holland, up tlie Rhine and to the summit 
of the Alps. He then went to Strasburg, where he 
remained about three months, and from there went 
to Hamburg, thus passing through the entire Ger- 
man Empire. He next visited England and Ire- 
land, and from Queenstown returned to the United 
■States. In 1881, accompanied by his youngest 
daughter, he again went to Europe, visiting Bel- 
gium, France, Germany, Holland, England and Ire- 
land. Twice since he has crossed the ocean, in the 
years 1882-84. 

In early life Mr. .Sniith was a Democrat, and acted 
with that party until the outbreak of the Civil War, 
when, like the lamented Douglas, believing there 
could be only two parties, cast his lot with the 
Union Republican party. AVith that party he has 
since acted, its principles being more_uearly in 
accord with his own views of government. He is 
also a believer in the Christian religion, and for 
many years was -a uicniber of the Methodist Ei)is- 
copal Church. 

^». -W+ -«i JJS I^:^ -pg)- j|s -KH-«- 

j^^ AMUEL K. M< SADDEN, of Pleasant Grove 
^^^ Township, was born^iii Campbell County, 
]i\/jj) Tenn., Aug.^24, 1812. At the age of sev- 
enteen years his parents removed to Indi- 
ana, remaining there until l.Soy, when they emi- 
grated to Missouri, from which State, after a 






residence of one year, thej' returned to the old 
home in l.S40,and remained for fifteen years. They 
then came to Mahaska Count3-, in 18.55, settling in 
Plea.sant Grove Township. His first purchase of 
land was 120 acres on secti(m 3 of this township, 
which he afterward sold, and bought the 212 acres 
on section 1 (J that constitutes his present home 
farm. 

June 14, 1830, Mr. McSadden was married to 
Miss Nancy Bowman, and eight children have l)een 
born to them: Peggy is the wife of William Mor- 
row, of this township; Jacob is deceased; John C. 
lives in Keokuk County ; Martin and James live in 
this township; Barbara and Katie are dead; Henry 
resides in Missouri. 

Mr. ^IcSadden is an uncompromising Democrat. 
Himself and wife are consistent members of the 
Baptist Church. He is a man of considerable force 
of character and unusual intelligence, and thor- 
oughly posted in current topics of the times. A 
long and well-spent life is drawing to a close, and 
ere many moons >hall wax and wane he will have 
passed to that bourne whence no traveler returns, 
and as he has enjoyed the respect and confidence 
of his friends in his life he will be jileasantly re- 
membered b}- them when lie shall have passed off 
the stage of action. 



■^ )>'ILLIAM F 
\aJ// blacksmith 
WW Township. 



ILLIAM F. NEWBOLD is a farmer and 
th. living on section 7, Cedar 
ship. He was born in Switzerland 
County, Ind., Jan. 24. 1844, and is the son of 
George and Martha (Burnes) Newbold, the former 
a native of Maryland, and the latter of Kentucky. 
They came to this county in 1851, and both are 
now retired from active labor, making their home 
with their son. 

William F. Newbold was married, Oct. 23, 1864, 
to Eliza J. Davidson, a daughter of Daniel and 
Keziah (Brubaker) Davidson, who are residents of 
Kirkville, Wapello Co., Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. New- 
bold are the parents of five childreii — Annette, 
George, Horeuce, Fred and Minnie. Himself and 
wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. 

Mr. Newbold is a Greenbacker, and has held the 






RHHHH 






3^ 



i 






V 

I 

I 



El 
El 






. ---0,11 



r 



'4 



LLJLI 1.1X^1 




mm 



m 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



373 




v.'.i 

4 

\i 
IS 

ii 

Ip 

l-lS 

i;s 

Ilia 

VE 

1 
1 

i; 
i; 

5| 

IE 

Ills 
• la 

I* 

\\ 

i: 
I 

k 

\& 

i^c 
i:iP 

i^e 

IS 

I ;c 
us 
uc 

li 

He 

ir 
1., 

i 
i:| 

1 



office of School Director. He i,« the owner of 
eighty acres of good hiiirl, all of whicli is iinrier cul- 
tivation, has good house and l)arn, cribs, granaries 
and other buildings. He is the patentee of the 
Newbold I'otato-I'Ianter, vvhicli is patented in this 
countrj" and Canada. It is a very ingenious ma- 
chine, and perforins accurately and rapidly the work 
for which it was dcsigiicil. In the sale of machines 
and territory he is meeting with marked success, 
and it is the opinion of those who have witnessed 
the operation of this machine that it is a veritable 
bonanza, and will prove a source of wealth to its 
owner. 



ENJAMIX TKUEBLUOl). of U^kaloosa. 

President of Penn College and Professor of 
5yj)|i Mental and Moral Science, is the son of 

Joshua and Esther (Parker) Trueblood, 
born in Saleni, Ind., Nov. 25, IS47. His father, 
a native of North Carolina, born March 25, lt<15, 
was a farmer bj' occupation, and now resides in 
Tonganoxie, Kan. The mother is a native of Aza- 
lia, Ind., was born in 1819. and died in Plainfield, 
Ind., in March, IS84. The parental family con- 
sisted of six children, of whom the record is as fol- 
lows : The first child died in infancy ; Erastus died 
at the age of eight 3ears; Benjamin, our subject, 
was the third in order of birth; Alpheus is a minis- 
ter of the Society of Friends and Pastor of the 
church at Amboy, Ind.; William P. is an educator; 
he graduated from Earlham College, Richmond, 
Ind., in 1875, and is now Principal of the Friends' 
Academy at Tonganoxie, Kan.; Hannah A. became 
the wife of Milton Schoole^', a fanner of Hendricks 
County-, Ind. 

The boyhood days of the subject of our sketch 
were passed upon the farm and in attendance at the 
common schools. At the age of seventeen he en- 
tered upon a course of study at tiie Friends' Acad- 
emy at S.alcm. Washington Co., Ind., receiving his 
preparatory- course previous to entering Earlham 
College. In this institution he took a classical 
course, graduating therefrom in 1S(;;), in tiie mean- 
time lieing engaged as Princi|)al of a Friends' 
Academy, which position he retained for two years 
before gr.adu.'iting. He subsiMpicutly liccame Prin- 



cijial of Raisin A'alley Seminary, a piduiinent insti- 
tution of the Friends at Adrian, Mich. After tlic 
termination of his engagement here he returned to 
the college from which he had graduated, as Pro- 
fessor of English Literature, Jind was iicic for two 
years. 

In 1S7;>, upon the opening of i'enu College, 
Prof. Trueblood was tendered the chair of Pi<p- 
fessor of Latin and (ireek in this institution. He 
accepted, and r('maine<l liere for one year, then, re- 
ceiving a call to the Presidency of \\ihiiington 
College, at Wilmington, Ohio, he went thither and 
remained five years, or until 187!). when he re- 
signed that office to accept the Presidency of Penn 
College, with which institution lie has been con- 
nected since that time. Under his superintendence 
the college has steadily prospered and doubled the 
number of its college students. He has managed 
its finances with judicious care, and it has been en- 
abled to pay <jff a large indebtedness which had 
been contracted previous to his connection with it. 
The college is now out of debt and fully established 
in the confidence of the people of this locality. 

President Trueblood, after giving several years of 
his time and energies to the building up of this in- 
stitution, was greatly in need of a vacation, iind ac- 
cordinglj', in IX8(). took a trip to Eui'ope, in the 
meantime having the interests of the college always 
at heart, and endeavoring to secure sudi informa- 
tion as nnght be of benefit to it through his subse- 
quent advice and instruction, lie visited England, 
Scotland and France, making a tour of all tlie lead- 
ing cities of the British I-lmpire. and his researches 
in the Old World formed a fund of valuable and 
interesting iuform.ation which he has imparted to the 
best of his al)ility to the inipils who are pursuing 
their studies at the institution over which he pre- 
sides. 

In addition to his duties in connection with Penn 
College, President Trueblood preaches regularly in 
the Friends' Church near the college, and his time 
is constantly einploj'ed. He is a conscientious stu- 
ilent, and his deep interest in the success of his 
college and his church is beyond question. 

The marriage of President Trueblood and .Miss 
Sarah II. Terrill was celebrated in New \'ienna. 
Ohio, .Vu" 17, 1S72. .Mrs. T. is tin- ik-iuuhlcr of 





m 




i I l-HrxiTXlJtXlTXT'»«"* 'WXXXM 



^■'^ij 









374 




_■ Ilk HUTU tinriDt^ 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



Israel A. and Sydney H. (Hough) Terrell, and was 
born in New \'ienna, Jan. (i, Iis;j2. Of this union 
there have been three children, as follows: IrvinC, 
born Sept. 2(i, l,s7.i, filed .Tuly 11, 1S77; Lyra Dale, 
born Sept. 2;!. 1.S77, and Florence Esther, Sept. 9, 
1883. 

President T. <i\vns and occupies a fine residence 
in the northei-n i)art of the city. As an instructor 
and sch(jlar his e(pial is rarely- found, and as a l)u.si- 
ness man and a citizen, his talents are of iindnubted 
ability. Socially he is held in high esteem, and the 
home of himself and his amial)lc and nccom|)lished 
lady is the resort of the cultured peoi)le of the 
city. 



_^^J%*-?- 



^^EOKGK LIEUK 

(|| (— ^ ship, was born i 
^^^ 182.5, and reside 



m 




\ very fertile land, which he has brought ti 



liiuh 




state of cidtivation, and otherwise si)leuilidlv im- 
proved, lie engages in mixed farming and stock- 
I'aising, and has prosiiered exceedingly well in 
them. lie is a |iioneer who has gnjwn with the 
growth of the county, is a man of considerable in- 
dividuality and force of character, and is deser\ ing 
j.>f all the prosperity that has attended him in the 



EOKGE LIEURANCE, of Monroe Town- 
in Clinton County, Ohio, in 
ed there with his father un- 
til 1836, when the family removed to and settled 
in U'arren County, 111. He came to Mahaska 
in 1844, and .June 26 of that year was muted in 
marriage to Miss Amanda Jared, born in Kentucky 
in 1827. l)eing the first couple married in the 
county. They are the parents of four children : 
Cynthia E. is the wife of John Witt, and lives in this 
township; Antlrew J. is at Neosha Falls, Kan.; Jo- 
seph M. lives in Stafford County, Kan.; Calvin U. 
is at home. 

(ieorge Lieurance served in the late war for a 
period of twelve months as First Lieutenant of Co. 
C, 40th Iowa \'ol. Inf., when by^ reason of sickness 
he resigned his conimissit)n and came home. He is 
a member of the A. F. it A. M. Himself and wife 
are members of the Methodist Eiiiscopal Church. 

Immediately following his marriage INIr. Lieurance 
came to Iowa and settled in Monroe Township, this 
county. His home farm consists of 2 42 acres of 



l)ast, or may fall to his hit in the future. In every 
respect an estimable citizen, most iionondile and (jf 
the strictest integrity, he is highly regarded by a 
very large circle of acquaintances. 

^THy\ENJAMIN CKUZEN, of Madison Town- 
'^< ship, was born in (Jreene County, Ohio, 
April 24, 1 «4,'). He is a son of Hervey and 
Asenath (Walthall) Cruzen, who were mar- 
ried in 1832. The former was a native of (ireene 
County, Ohio, born .Ian. 2i), 1801, and the latter 
was a native of \'irginia, born in 18l."i. She died 
Nov. 29, 1859, and her husband July 2S, l!S8(). 
Hervey Cruzen, father of the suljject of this sketch, 
came to this county March 8, 1849, and at his 
death was lesiding upon the farm first purchased 
by him upon coming into this county. He was a 
man closely and honorably identified with the be.st 
development of its growth. From the date of his 
residence here, down to the hour of his decease, 
he was known as a man w'hose whole life was 
imbued with rigid, old-fashioned, honest work and 
ways. In his immediate neighborhood, no man 
was more easily prompted to do a kind act, or to 
heed the demands that pioneer life or later days 
could make. Of the children born to him, all are 
living, and are honored residents of this State. The 
latter years of his life were not blest with vigor- 
ous health, and he suffered much, yet he did not 
give up the struggle, and was seemingly as bright 
and hopeful as in his younger days, yet he fell at 
the ripe age of seventy -six years, as the ripened 
grain falls before the sickle of the reaper, and was 
followed to his last resting-place, in the Pomeroy 
Cemetery, west of this city, by a large concourse of 
friends, and was laid away to his peacefid rest, ac- i 
rording to the beautiful ritual of the .Masonic fra- ! 
tiTuity. of which he was an honored niendjer. ; 

Tile subject of this sketch came to Iowa with his 
parents, and remained upon the lK)me farm until he 
was seventeen years of age, when the war began, 
and he left the plow in the furrow, enlisting in Co. 
!•;, M;')d Iowa \'ol. Inf.. and served his country 
faithfullv for llucc y^•ar^. With his regiment he 
(larlicipated in many of the important engage- 



ai 



^HStI 



VrJrJ_.JrJM 



1 UlTnflIlll ll TTTTTTTrTl^ftflQ^f|g , a 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



1| ments in the Mississippi Valley, and for nine 
.; months and twenty-five days of his enlistment was 
5 eoiilined in a loathsome rebel prision in the Soutli. 
After his discharge from tlu' service, at the ex- 
piration of Ills term of enlistment, Mr. C'rnzen re- 
turned to his home in this county, ;ind Oct. \i. 
1866, was nnirried to Miss Harriet .M. L.nmborn, a 
native of Knox County, Ohio, wlio w.'is hoiii March 
6, 1850. By tliis union there have been four chil- 
dren: Marion, who is a member of Camp Rice 
Sons of Neterans, and resides in Nebraska; Cora, 
John L. and C'arlton reside at home. 

Mr. Cruzen is a memlier of Phil Kearney Post, 
<i. A. R. : |)oliticall_v he is a Republican. Himself 
PS and wife are members of the Church of our Lord 
.lesus Christ. i\Ir. Cruzen is an upright, honorable 
citizen, and m man of the strictest integritj', and en- 
joj's in .an unusual degree the full confidence and 
esteem of a large circle of friends and accpiantances. 



#># 



-V- 



i¥r^ 




ILLIAM PEARSON, .Ik„ who is succe.ss- 

eugaged in market gardening in Prai- 

Township, is a son of William and 

i|| Catherine Pearson, whose biography will be found 

IS? elsewhere in this book. He was born in Loeran 

1 'I 

i^s Countv. Ohio, July 8, 1835, and came with the 

lis family to Iowa in 1850, He was reared to farm 
i=s life, and in Jauuarj', 1858, was married to Miss 
Hij Oulielma Kees, a native of Morrow County, Ohio, 
i;ic and born Sept, 21, 1837. 

i:i After his marriage our subject resided in .Mar- 
i ijS shall Count}-, Iowa, for two years, and then coming 
j to this county settled on section 24, Prairie Town- 
ship, where he owns sixty acres of land, and for the 
past three ^-ears has given his entire attention to the 
cultivation of snnill fruits and vegetai)les, dispos- 
ing of his produce at New Sliaron. 

Mr. and Mrs. Pearson are the parents of two 
children: Catherine M., who died in the seventh 
year of her age, and William T. Politically Mr. 
}! j Pearson is a Republican, and has served as Town- 
ili ship Clerk and Trustee. Religiously he allillates 
■ witii the .Society' of Friends. 

In 1 878 our subject became a»st>ciated in part- 
nersldii with A. (). Page, under the lirn; name anil 




style of Page & Pearson, and the}^ built a planing- 
miil at New Slnnou, which the}' operated for two 
years, since wliich time Mr, Pearson has given his 
attention exclusively to market gai-dcning. He 
is one of the most woitliy citizens of Prairie I'own- [ ■'^'^ 
.ship, and enjoys in :\ niarlved degree the regard of } 
his friends and acquaintances. 




KNRY S. STRIMiFKLLDW, a resident of 
Adams Township, is a native of Owen 
County, Ky., and was I)orn April H, 1843. 
When a boj- of ten years he came with his 
parents to Iowa, settled in JIahaska Count}', and 
has resided here continuouslj' since, following the 
occupation of farming. Dec, 4, 1 873, he was united 
in marriage with Miss Eleanor (irace, a native of 
Illinois, born April 25, 1846. To them three chil- 
dren have been born: Alonzo, Dec, 20. 1875; 
Grace, April 28, 1877; Edward, Feb. 7, 1884. 

Mr. Stringfellow is a member of the Ma.sonic fra- 
ternity, and attiliates with Triluminar Loilge at 
Oskaloosa. His political relation is with the Dem- 
ocratic i)arty. He is the owner of 120 acres of ex- 
cellent land, which he has brought to a good state 
of cultivation, and upon which the improvements 
are of the better order. Mr. .Stringfellow has been 
fairly successful in life, and has brought to the dis- 
charge of the duties incident to his calling, ability 
of a superior order, combined with good jutlgmcut 
and excellent management. In the social relations 
of life he is a man enjoying the confidence and es- 
teem of his neighbors, friends and acquaintances 
generallv. 



EONIDAS R, THOMP.SOX, proprietor of 
^ 200 acres of v;dual>le land on section 13, 
_ ^ Des .Moines Township, was born in .Madison 
Count}', Ky,, in 1822. and is a sou of .lohu and 
Klizabeth (.Story) Thompson. The former died in 
1857, and the latter in 1861, both having reached 
the age of seventy-five years. 

When aliout fifteen years of age Mr. T. aceoni- 
panieil his parents to Mimroe County, Ind., where 



y 

i 
1 









376 




MAHASKA COUNTY. 



■Jtoii ;in(l Clay (twins), Ellen and Fivd. Clifton 
(lied Fob. 14, l.S.sa, luiviau lu't-n kiileil in a coal- 



his father purchased an unimproved farm and was 
numbered among the earliest settlers of that county. 
For twelve years the subject of this sketch made 
this his home, in the meantime learning the trade 
of a brick-mason, wiiieh he followed until the 
breaking out of the ^Mexican War, when he enlisted, 
June !l, l.s4<;, in Co. A, od Ind. Vol. Inf., and 
served thirteen months, his regiment being attached 
to the brigade of Gen. Joe Lane. The principal 
engagement in which he participated was that of 
the battle of Buena Vista. At the close of the war 
he took ship on the lower Rio Crande for New ()r- 
^pljj leans, where he was mustered out. Thence he went 
hi up the Ohio and Mississijjpi Rivers to ^Madison, 
" Ohio, where he landed in Julj, 1 847. While en route 
jjj: the Star .Sj)angied Banner was sunk from running 
m onto a snag, and Mr. Thompson, with otliers, was 
I compelled to swim ashore, 'i'went^' of the passen- 
^^M\ gers were drowned, tlie remainder being rescued 
hi Jji by the Old Missourian, a large steamer, wiiich took 
Kj ! them back to Baton Rouge, where the}' had to re- 
^i main three days before they could secure another 
steamer for np the river. Mr. T. Anally took 
passage on the Swallow, which landed him at Mad- 
ison. 

After returning home our subject resumed his 
trade, at which he continued to w-ork until the 
spring of 1 .s4,S, wlieu he came to Mahaska County 
and located his war claim. lie only remained here, 
however, until the "20th of JMay vf that jear, when, 
on account of scarcitj' of work, ho returned to In- 
diana, where he staitl until the fall of IS.jO, when 
he again came to Mahaska Count}', and began im- 
provements on his homestead in Des Moines Town- 
ship. 

Mr. Thompson was married, in Fel)ruar3', l,s.j3, to 
Miss Kmily Miller, a native of Ohio, and daughter of 
Daniel and Jane (Dull) Miller, natives of the same 
estate. Two children were born of this union — 
Jane, now the wife of Samuel Kitt, of Nebraska, 
and Emily, who died in l.s7.'5. Mrs. Tliomi)son 
died in 18.).'), and Mr. Thompson was again united 
in marriage, in 18.JG, to Miss Dorcas Morgan, a ua- 
jjtive of Kentuck}-, and daughter of Alex Morgan. 
By this union there were five children — John, Clif- ad 







-*- 



DYE, who is residing on section 8, Har- 
rison Township, was born in \\'est ^'irgiuia, 



3i 



bank by a fall of slate; Clay is engaged in fanning 
in Sullivan County, Mo.; Ella is tlie wife of (Jreen 
Berry; Fred died in 1880. 

The farm of Mr. Thompson is mostly coal land. 
He has a coal-bank which he thinks was tlie lirsl 
bank opened out in Mahaska County, in 1848, and 
this he has continued to operate since that time, 
lie has also another bank, opened out in 188.j, 
which contains a vein of coal from four and a half 
to five feet thick. About 50,000 tons are mined 
each year. These command a large local trade, s§i 
the greater part of the coal being used for home 3;:i 
consumption. In addition to his niining o[)era- 
tions Mr. Thompson carries on general farming and 
stock-raising. 

In early life Jlr. Thompson was a Whig, atliliat- 
ing with that party while it continued to exist, 
since which time he has been a standi Republican. 
Socially he is a member of the Masonic fraternity. 



3^W 

3:1 



m 



■V^-- ris 

^\ Sept. o, 1846, and is a son of George R. 
^^and Rachel (Orfett) Dye, also natives of 
the above State, where the}' still reside. The sub- 
ject of this sketch, R. W. Dye, came to Mahaska 
County in 18G'J, and on the Dth day of P'ebruar}', 
1873, was married to Miss Orlena Baughman, the 
daughter of A. J. and Mary (Carpenter) Baughman, 
natives of Ohio, who were farmers in this county 
for a number of years, but who now reside in the 
city of Oskaloosa. By this union there were three 3e 
children: Emma G., born Aug. 31, 187G; Edna F., 
Dec. 14, 1877, and Mabel C, May G, 1881. 

Mr. Dye has an admirable farm of 109 acres, all 
of which is inider cultivation and has tirst-class im- 
provements of all kinds. In addition to general 
farming he is engaged in stock-raising to a consid- 
erable extent, giving his attention particularly to 
cattle, horses and hogs. Devoting his leisure hours 
to study and thought Mr. Dye has invented and 
patented a combined movable feed rack and trough, 
adai)ted to horses, cattle and sheep, which is said 
by those most Competent to judge lo be an in- 
vention of great utility. In the sale of territiiry. 



i 

IS 



B 



i 

n 



1 

-A 

I 

1 
1 
1 

iu 

r 




KrFTT'^ 



I ilUrixixiiix^HxT'riixixxTr 

Pir'r'r'r'rl 



li 
ii 



>3§ 



1: 

is: 



15, 
la 



IS 

1 3 
1 



i$ 



1 



IHS 



and privileges for farms, counties and States, he is 
makiiii;- many excellent sales, and wherever the 
Siiine has been introduced and tested bj- practical 
men it is highly commended. The variety in liis 
business, and the success which has attended it, 
demonstrate clearly that Mr. Dye is a man of 
more than ordinary ability in every way. lie is a 
pleasant gentleman, both in social and in business 
life, and his home is one of hospitality and good 
cheer. Personally he enjoj's the regard of a large 
circle of acquaintances. 




MAHASKA COUNTY. 



-eaefi?®-^;' 



-x-SI-Swraa*-- 




BRAHAM MILLER, of Richland Town- 
ship, is the eldest son of (Teorge and Sarah 



an attiiek of cerebro spinal meningitis when but 
five years old, has entirely lost his speech. The 
mother of this child died in the year If^ds, and in 
I mi;:! Mr. M. married Susan E. Turner, a native of 
Maiyland, and a daughter of James and Martha 
liirucr. In ])olities INIr. Miller is a Democrat, but 
has no aspirations for political honor or preferment, 
lie was made a Mason at West liberty, Ohio, in 
ls4(), and is now a member of Central Lodge No. 
3.S8, at Peoria, of which he was one of the charter 
members, and for several j'ears its Treasurer. 

Mr. Miller owns 2H(H acres of laud, iOO of which 
are well improved and under excellent cultivation. 
His principal occupation is that of stock-raising, 
and in this he has been reniarkablj- successsfid, and 
is numbered among the well-to-do and highly re- 
spected farmers of the county. In all the relations 



li (^Brown) Miller. He was born in Stark Conn- of life Abraham .Miller will measure up to the full 



ty, Ohio, Jan. l.s, 1.S24. He removed with 
his father's family to Mediua Conntj". and afterward 
to Logan Count\', Ohi<j. All his early life was 
spent upon the farm, and he received such educa- 
tion as was afforded by the district schools at that 
time. His father was a carpenter and joiner, and 
Abraham being mechanically inclined naturally 
learned the trade, and when he attained his major- 
ity, worked with his father one \ear at the busi- 
ness and afterward continued it alone. 

In the spring of 18.5.J Mr. Miller concluded that 
the advice of (Jreelej' was wise, and prepared to go 
West and see the country and take a rest. He ac- 
cordingly came to Iowa, and soon purchased 120 
acres of prairie land and twenty-six and one-half of 
timber in Richland Township. He traveled consid- 
erably over the States of Iowa and Missouri, but 
made his home near I'eoria with his sister, Mary 
A. -M., the wife of Isaiah Spain, who had located in 
this county the year Itefore. In December, IS.i.j, 
.Mr. Miller returned to Ohio, but soon becatne dis- 
satisfied with his native .State and longed for the 
free air and Idessed sunsliine of the western i)rairic. 
•So in the fall of \s:,(; he returned to Iowa and be- 
gan the improvement of his land. 

In 1S(;(; Mr. Miller w.as united in marriage with 
S.arali C Stokes, a native of Log.-m County, Ohio, 
and a daughter of Dauiel and Calista .Stokes. To 
tiaiii was bum one son. Kllis, who, liv reason <if 



-''WV .Ati^^jC;©^^' 




^v/^^i/!7V!n^-\ny^~ 



AVID F. LAUGH LIN, who has been a 
))] resident of Scott Township for nearly 
forty 3-ears, was born in the town of Eliza- 
beth, Allegheny Co., Pa., Nov. .i, 181 G. 
He is a son of Adam and Rebecca (Wall) Laugh- 
lin, the father a native of Fa3'ette County and the 
mother of Allegheny County, Pa. Both parents 
died in this county, the former in 1870, and the 
latter in 187s, both having been devoted members 
of the ^lethodist Episcopal Church. 

David Laughlin left the old home in Pennsylva- 
ni;i iu 1832, removing to CaiToll County, Ohio, 
where he engaged in blacksmithing and gunsmith- 
ing until 1X47. In the spring of that j'ear he re- 
moved to -Mahaska County, and entered eighty 
acres vf land in Scott Township, on section 10, 
which he still owns, and which he has improved 
until it is a pleasant and comfortable home. He 
owns other I;iud. Iiut only tbe home farm is iu cul- 
tivation. 

Mr. Laiighliu was married in the spring of 184-1, 
iu Carroll County. Ohio, to Margaret, a daughter 




standard of honorable manhood and the best type I 
of citizenship. He is not a prophet without honor 
in his own country, but rather one who enjoys in a 
merited degree the esteem of his fellow-citizens. 



KXzxdtzxini 



ti.ii 



m 

mi 



PI 

8r I 



Bl 



iiil 




378 



(if John Robertson, a native of Pennsylvania. Slae 
endured with him nil the trials and privations in- 
cident to pioneer life in a new country, and passed 
away at her home in this countj', Feb. 2'2, 1884, 
aged nearly seventy years. In the spring of 1886, 
he was again niarricil. U> Kliznbeth Johnson, a na- 
tive of ^'irginin. 

Mr. Laughlin has been Township Trustee several 
terms and held the office of Justice of the Peace 
for two j'ears. He is a member and Ruling Elder 
of the Presbyterian Church at Olivet. He came to 
Mahaska County before the land was put upon the 
market, and when there were less than seventy 
houses in the county, and the changes of all these 
years have been made under his observation. Then 
no school-houses, churches, costly residences, ample 
barns, no railroads, telegraph or telephone lines 
spajined these broad acres and in fact, few, if any, 
evidences of civilization existed, while now the 
prairies blossom as the rose, and the fertile acres 
yield an abundance and to spai'e. One bows al- 
most with reverence in the presence of a pioneer of 
nearly half a century, and envies him what his eyes 
have seen and his ears have heard of the sketches 
and incidents of his early days. 





^•# 



RS. ANNA LAMONl), a resident of Union 
Township, and the widow of John Lamond, 
was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, June 
26, 1830. She came with her husband to 
America in 185!), first settling in Ashland Countj-, 
Ohio, for one year, and then came to lovva and 
liveil in Poweshiek County for three j'ears; thence 
came to this county, settling on section 1 of this 
township for twenty-nine years, and then moved 
to her present home. 

She was married to John Lamond in Scotland, 
May 22. 1847, and to them were born eight chil- 
dren : William, Mary A. and Jlargaret J. are de- 
ceased ; George C. married Miss Lacey Foster, and 
ives in Poweshiek County; Ann Jilizabeth is the 
wife of Miles Bradl)iiry, and lives in this town.ship; 
Mattie G. is the wife of William Smith, of this 
township; John K. married Miss Bertha Holt, and 



lives at home; Charles A. and James A. are at FJi 
home. The father of the.se children died Aug. 14, s 
1881. i 

Mrs. Lamond is a member of the Presbyterian li 
Chureh. She is the owner of 160 acres of land in a 
a splendid state of cultivation, with improvements | 
of the best character, and manages the farm with S 
consummate skill, proving herself a successful 
farmer. She is a lady universall}' respected and 
esteemed by a large circle of friends and acquaint- 
ances. 




RTHUR HP:NRY C0WLES,M. IX, of New 
Sharon, was born in Pella, Marion Co., 
Iowa, July 3, 1 859. His father, Edward 
C. Cowles, was a native of Delaware, Ohio- 
He was trained to a mercantile life, and was en- 
gaged in business for mauy years in his native 
town. But reverses came and he went to Califor- 
nia to regain his losses, and in this particular was 
successful. On his return from California in 1857, 
he came to Iowa, and settled at Pella, becoming 
one of the pioneer merchants of that place, and for 
years carried on one of the largest mercantile es- 
tablishments of that city, and controlled a large 
and profitable trade. 

He became tired of bachelor life, and in 1858 
was united in marriage with Catherine Snyder, who 
was born in Indiana in 1837. By this union there 
were two sons — Arthur H. and Edward James. 
Mr. Cowles died Dec. C, 1861, soon after which his 
widow removed to Oskaloosa, and there reared her 
two sons. In 1881 she was united in marriage 
with J. M. Woods, and has since resided in New 
Sharon. 

The early life of Dr. Cowles was spent in attend- 
ing the public schools at Oskaloosa, supplemented 
l>y a term of two years at Penn College. In 1878 
he began the studj' of medicine, with Dr. J. L. 
Coffin as Preceptor, and continued with him for 
two j'cars. In 1880 he entered the homeopathic 
department of the .State Universit}- at Iowa Cit\-, 
and one year later the Hahnemann Medical College 
in Chicago, from which institution he graduated in 
1882, and immediately afterward located at New 
Sharon. When he located at New Sharon the 



^1 




lHa:i 



CJHBEEii 



Li^iS^Sh 



-iixixtxnxzxxxxiiixxxizl 
iusxi^^iWiriit'iunx 







^^^^ 



MAHAvSKA COUNTY. 



.17 



homeopathic practice was in bad repute, there hav- 
ing never been a graduate of that .-ichool of medi- 
cine in the place. Imt Dr. Cowles soon overcame 
the prejudice, gained the confidence of the people, 
and is now enjoying a good practice. He is a 
luemlier of tlie Masonic fraternity, also of the Iowa 
Hahnemann Association. 



I 



•>-;:!-"«» 



S? LTHER HOFFMIRE, deceased, was born in 
I ^ Knox County. Ohio, Aug. is, 1821, and 
jlL;!^ died at his home in Xew Siiaron, Sunday, 
May 9, l«8(j, having been a resident of tliis county 
since May 12, Ifi.j.i. His early life in Ohio was 
passed on the farm, and here he grew to maniiood. 
For many years he traveled over that .State, en- 
gaged in the sale of farm implements, manufactured 
at the Ohio Penitentiarj', and this l)eing prior to 
the days of railways, he used the old-fashioned 
four and six horse wagon in order to carry a large 
supply of goods. lie was also engaged there for 
many years in the buying of wool. 

In the year 1850 Mr. Hoffniire was united in 
marriage with Ann J. Kirk, a native of Ohio, born 
in Columbiana County. Mr. ami .Mrs. lloffraire 
became the parents of six children, three of whom 
died in infancy, and one at the age of eighteen 
^•ears. The living children are: Thomas T., a resi- 
dent of this county; Harriet J., now the wife of 
Dr. .M. (i. Hart, of Chicago, and an adopted daugh- 
ter, Lulu M., is a member of the family. Mrs. 
Hoffmire still survives, and resides in this county. 

\Vheu the famih- first came to this county they 
settled in Adams Township, and engaged in farm- 
ing for three j'ears, and then removed to Union 
Township, residing there until 1874, when the farm 
of 201) acres was rented, and thej' removed to New- 
Sharon. During his residence on the farm, Mr. 
Hoffmire studied law^ and was admitted to the bar. 
and after coming to New Sharon gave his attention 
entirely to legal matters. In the year 1880, his 
health lia\ing become S(miewhat impaired, he made 
a tri|) to Kansiis, the family remaining at New 
Sharon, and while there was admitted to the bar of 
that .State and practiced law one year, then re- 
turned to his home. 



,\ll his life Mr. Hoffmire was a very active poli- 
tician. In his earlier days he was an old-line Whig, 
and a delegate to the convention in Ohio which 
nominated John .Sherman for Congress the first 
time. He was a strong anti-slavery man, and in 
1 8.')(i ca.^t his vote for .lohn ('. Fremont for Presi- 
dent, and from that time until his decejtse w-as a 
stanch supjjorterof the Republican i)arty. He held 
the office of Justice of the Peace in this county foi' 
twenty-four years, and was Ma3'or of New .Sharon 
eight terms. He was a man of excellent legal 
judgment, and his decisions were never reversed. 
He possessed nianj' excellent traits of character, 
and these made for him numerous friends and ad- 
mirers. 



RA BARR, engaged in general mei'chandising at 
Fremont, is a a native of Tnscaniwas Count}', 
Ohio, and was born June (J. 1837, being the son 
of Daniel and Mary .M. (Stonebaker) Barr. The 
parents removed from Ohio to Perry Countj'. 111., 
in 1849, remaining there until their death, that of 
the father occurring in 18.i7,and his wife's in 18o-l. 
Daniel Barr followed the occupation of farming and 
milling, being an industrious man and a good citi- 
zen. 

The subject of this sketch, after reaching years 
of manhood, was married in 18.57, to Miss Nar- 
cissa J. Saunders, who was born in William.son 
County, 111., Sept. 11, 1834, .and is the daughter of 
William and V.U/.a (Arnold) Saunders. Her father 
was born in Fhiladelphia. Pa., and her mother in 
North Carolina. The former died in Williamson 
County, 111., aliout the year 184.i. and the mother 
resides with the subject of this sketch. Mr. anil 

Mrs. Barr became the parents of three children 

Charles M., Kroni T. and Lettie A., tlie first two 
being deceased. 

Ira Barr emigrated from Ohio to the northwest- 
ern jiart of Mis.souri in 18,56, where he followed 
teachiii.ii' >" t'lf" "inter and farming in the summer. 
In the fall of 18U1 he left Missouri and coming to 
\Vapello County, Iowa, operated a farm one j'ear, 
and in the spring of 1873 came to his present loca- 
tion. He is the surviving member of the old firm 



m 




ixjiLXixiixxxixiixiiixi I 



V: 



in 



'=!5 






■LXj-irxiitiJixnuxntyjirTTi t 



•-I I zi mixi rxirtinxTTJ rm 



trrzti-t 



arruirxm^ 




jj^w. 



380 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



of Ban- (fe White, the Intter deceased, so long and 
favorably known in that section of the county in 
the business of general merchandising. He carries 
a well-selected stock of about $3,000 worth of 
goods, is enjoying a good trade, and deserves un- 
limited prospeiit}-. As a !)usiness man and citizen, 
he is honorable and upright, honest in his dealings 
with his patrons, personally and socially a genial 
gentleman, and enjoys the cDiifidenee and regard 
of a host of friends. 

Mr. and Mrs. Barr are members of the Cliristian 
Church. In his political affiliations our subject is 
Republican, and has held the offices of Justice of 
the Peace ami Sciiool Director. 



i(^\AI>ENTINE REDLINGER. of Pleasant 
Grove Township, was born in Prussia, July 
^ 27, 11^48, and emigrated to America April 
0, 1S67. In the year 1868 he came to Iowa and 
settled in Keokuk Count}^ where he resided for 
nine years, then came to his present location in 
Pleasant Grove Township, and purchased eightj' 
acres of land, which is in a good state of cultivation 
and well improved. 

Sept. y, lf^74, he was united in marriage to Miss 
Anna Planter. Thej' are the parents of eight chil- 
dren — Inger, jMathies, Nick, John, Katie, Peter, 
Valentine and Anna. The two latter arc twins. 
Politically Mr. Redlinger is a member of tiie Dem- 
ocratic i)arty, a man well versed upon [xjlitical 
topics, and one of tlie leading minds in that politi- 
cal organization in his section of the county. He 
is a careful, prudent manager of his business mat- 
ters, and is prospering fairly as a farmer. Per- 
sonally he enjoys the contidence and regard of 
neighbors and friends. 



'^m- 



'Wl V. ELLSWORTH, of aionroe Township, 
I (^ was born in Guernsey County, Ohio, June 
jlL^ 23, 1823. and came to Iowa in 18C4. June 
1, 1845, he was married to Miss Mary Oglebay, a 
native of Pennsylvania, who was born in 1829. 
By this marriage there have been eleven children: 




Celestia J. is the wife of William Shaw, of Union 
Township; Sarah A', is the wife of R. G. Okey, of 3;[i 
this township: Caroline is deceased: James W. ~'~i 
lives at Rose Hill; Sevellen H. is at home; MarySftjj 
P. is the wife of Henry Williamson, and resides in gi 
Illinois; LeRoy W., Elmer E., Clara C, J^aurian V 
C. and Alberta A. are at home. H-fi 

Mr. Ellsworth has been a practicing physician g.^ 
for forty-two j'ears, and a local preacher in the g] i 
Methodist Episcopal Church since 1848. He was S' |^ 
ordained a Deacon in March, 1864, and an Elder ;^j 
in 1868. He is also a member of the Masonic fra- E |: 
ternity at Oskaloosa. He represented this county ; 3-! 
in the Fourteenth ( ieneral Assembl}' of Iowa in the c 
years 1873-74. He at that time affiliated with the 
Republican party, but disagreed with them on their 
financial policy, and has since become a member of 
the National Greenback partj', of which he is the 
acknowledged leader in this county. He owns 
eighty acres of excellent land, in good cultivation ?-t| 
and well improved. ffi 

Tlie Doctor is a gentleman of fine ability, pro- m 
fessionall}' and otherwise. He is a gentleman pos- 
sessing a high sense of li<jnor, of the strictest in- 
tegrity, and enjoj's the unlimited confidence and 
esteem of a large personal acquaintance. 



if) OHN LESTER was born in County Down, 
I Ireland, and came to this country in 1849, 
locating at once in Pleasant Grove Town- 
ship, this county. Here he purchased 365 
acres of excellent land, has brought it to a high "'^ 
state t)f cultivation, and has good improvements on ? 
the same. i 

Feb. 23, 1850, he was united in marriage with a 
Miss Aseuath Northrup. Thej' have become the 
parents of twelve children, ten of whom are living: 
Joseph C. is at home; Margaret J. is the wife of 
J. Wymore, of Pleasant Grove Township ; John, 
AVilliam F., Robert L., David, Thomas, Fred, 
Charles H, and an infant unnamed, are at home. 
Those deceased are James G. and Asenath. 

In his political relations IMr. Lester is a Repiili- 
lican, and himself and wife are members of the 
United Presbyterian Church. He brought withig 



ttVitttiI'- xTxnn . , 







I : 



13: 

ii 
i 



I 



IS 



him from Ireland a luve of libcrt}- ami a laudable 
ambition to succeed in his new home. Coupled 
with these was energy, industr3' and the ability to 
manage his affairs prudently and economically, and 
he has succeeded in securing a fair share of the 
wealth of the world. He is a man of splendid in- 
telligence, well posted on current topics, and able 
to discuss them in an able manner, and to give a 
reason for the opinions he has upon any and all 
subjects. 

V. CLARK, one of the intelligent farmers 
of Scott Township, was born in Columbiana 
iir\\ County, Ohio, Oct. 16, 1818. His father, 
\^Geu. George Clark, was born in 1772, and 
his mother, formerly Miss Hannah Vaughn, was 
born in l77iJ. Both were natives of Pennsylvania, 
and were among the first settlers of Columbiana 
County, Ohio, where they located in 1810. Gen. 
Clark was a farmer by occupation, but served as a 
soldier in the War of 1812, commanding a regi- 
ment of dragoons as Colonel, until the close, when 
he was breveted Brigadier-General for gallantry in 
action. After becoming a resident of Ohio, he was 
several times elected member of the .State Legisla- 
ture, and was a leading citizen in his county, both 
in social and political circles. He died in 1828, 
and his wife, the mother of our subject, in 1849. 

K. y. Clark, the subject of this sketch, removed 
to CarriiU County, Ohio, in 1845, and engaged in 
general merchandising until the fall of 18,51, when 
he removed with h\> family to Oskaloosa, remain- 
ing in this city during the winter, and locating in 
the spring on his (jrescnt farm in iScott Township, 
which he has since cultivated and finely improved. 

He wa.s married. Oct. 2, 1842. to Miss Mary M. 
Myers, a native of Ohio, born near Circleville, 
Pickaway County, in 1 826. They became the par- 
ents of eleven children, as follows: Elmore, born 
Oct. 10, 184;}, lives in Scott Township; Damaretta, 
born in Ohio, Dec. 27, 1844, is the wife of Sanford 
Graham, of Black Oak Township; Hannah Vaughn, 
born Nov. 12, 1846. in Ohio; Beverly, born in 
Ohio, July 30, 1849, died in Mahaska County, Jan. 
7, 1854; George Jacob, born in Carroll County, 



Ohio, March 3, 1851, is living at home; Isaac 
M., born May 22, 1853, is in Reno, Kan.; Mary M., 
born Jan. 22, 1855, is the wife of Jasper Olney, 
and resides in Marion County, Iowa; Richard V., 
born Dec. 8, 185G, resides in Scott^Township, this 
county; Hettie, born Feb. 11, 1858,'Charles Will- 
ard, April 21, 1861, and Cora Jane, Aug. 3, 1869, 
are at home; Sarah Ida, born Feb. 24, 1865, died 
June 25, 1886. 

Mr. and Mrs. Clark are worthy members of the 
Presbyterian Church. Our subject has served as 
Justice of the Peace several terms, and has also 
been a member of the Count}' Board of Supervisors 
two terms, discharging the duties of this latter posi- 
tion in a manner highly creditable to himself and 
satisfactory to his constituents. He is systematic 
and thorough in all his undertakings, and pursues 
mixed farming, raising large numbers of horses, 
cattle and hogs. He has been prospered in life, 
and is in comfortable circumstances. He is widely 
and favorably known as conscientious and upright 
in all his dealings, a man of integrity and of in- 
fluence in the community where he resides. 




11 



M 
ml 



W>ILLIAM BOYD, a farmer and stock-grower 
on section 20, Cedar Township, was born 
„ „ in Guernsey County, Ohio, Jan. 17,1836, 
and is the son of James and Jane (Spear) Boyd. 
James Boyd removed from Ohio to this county in 
the fall of 1852, and is now living a retired life 
one mile south of Oskaloosa, where his wife died 
in 1871. Mr. Boyd was born in County Down, 
Ireland, and his wife in Ohio. 

The subject of this sketch was married, Oct. 5, 'ji'::[j| 
1865, to .Sarah E. Warner, wlio was born Oct. 2», .^^ 
1846, and is a daughter of John and Mary (Cook) ^ 
Warner, and to them have been born five children: 
Mary E., Dora F., James P., Xellie N., and Jessie 
E., the latter deceased. 

Mr. Boj'd enlisted in Co. K, 33d Iowa Vol. Inf., 
in August, 1862, serving for three years. He en- 
listed as a private, was promoted Corporal and 
made Color-bearer of the regiment, which position 
he held for eighteen months, and carried the flag 
during the first tight at Helena July 4, 1S03, and 



ri rxxrrjTl>Tl 



-% 






382 




MAHASKA COUNTY 



m 

m 

m 



again at the taking of Little Rock in tlie fall of 
LSGo. He was with his commanrl on the expedi- 
tion to Camden and all its vai'ious battles, inclnd- 
ing that of Jenkin's Ferry, and thence down the 
Mississippi to New Orleans; was at the taking of 
Mobile, thence followed his command to the Rio 
(irande River, and thence to New Orleans, where 
the regiment was mustered out and sent to Daven- 
port, Iowa, paid off and disbanded. 

Mr. Boyd and wife are members of the United 
Presbyterian Church, and in his political affiliations 
he is a Republican, and now holding the office of 
Township Assessor. Mr. Boj'd owns seventy-seven 
acres of go<jd land, all in an excellent state of cul- 
tivation, with improvements of the best character. 
He has been reasonably successful in his business 
affairs, is energetic, a prudent manager, a pleasant 
gentleman, and one who enjoys the regard of a 
host of friends and acquaintances. 



fl W. DAA'IDSON, a farmer and stock-grower 

i>f Cedar Township, now residing on section 

32, was born in Ashland County, Ohio, Fell. 

.'(, 1 842, and is the son of Daniel and Keziah 

(Brubaker) Davidson, who came to this county in 

1850. Daniel is a blacksmith and works at that 

business in Kirkville, AVaj^ello County, and is also 

the owner of a good farm which he manages and 

operates. 

The subject of this sketch, J. W. Davidson, was 
married to Paulina E. Moore, April 1, 1866. She 
is a native of Indiana and was born in Boone 
County, Sept. 20, 1849, her parents being Laban 
and Nancy B. Moore, both of whom reside in Har- 
rison Township; their biography appears elsewhere 
in this book. Mr. and Mrs. Davidson have be- 
come the parents of five children : Ida M., born 
}j,lan. 25, 1868, died July 29, 1869; Emma A., born 
I Oct. 6, 1869, was drowned by falling into a spring 
^ <){ water, .Inly 28, 1871; Elmina, born July 25, 
IH71, died Oct. 18, 1872; Charles A., born Feb. 
i^^^ 20, 1H74; Eva F., Dec. 9, 1877. 

Mrs. Davidson is a member of the Methodist 

)iscopal Church. Socially Mr. Davis is a mem- 

K^^ ber of the I. O. O. F. Politically he is an adher- 





H^Rl 



ent of the Greenback faith, and has been for eleven :;{[ 
years School Director in his district. He owns « ]} 
eighty acres of excellent land, all in a good state S-ji 
of cultivation and well improved. His house 
imrn an<l other buildings are of the best character 
He is an A No. 1 man in all respects, energetic, in- g 
dustrious, well posted in the topics of the times, a »t 
pleasant gentleman and highly esteemed. i 



#-* 




\t^ ANIEL T. ROGERS, of Union Township, 
is a native of the State of Michigan, his 
birth taking place in Lincoln County, Oct. 
13, 1840, and is a son of Ansel and Louisa 
(Raymimd) Rogers. He was married in his native 
State, April 2, 1803, to Miss Lucy J. Cobbs, who 
was born in Ohio, Feb. 26, 1841, and is the daugh- 
ter of Ansalem and Ann Colibs. B3' this union 
there have been seven children, as follows: Grace 
E., born Sept. 9, 1864; Dora L., Sept. 23, 1867; 
Mary A., June 13, 1809; Ansalem, March 0, 1871 ; 
.Milo A., Dec. 18, 1875; Lydia P., April 10, 1878; 
William T. died Oct. 17, 1878. 

Mr. and Mrs. Rogers are members of the Society 
of Friends. Politically he affiliates with the Re- 
l)ul)lican party. Mr. Rogers came to Iowa from 
his native State in the year 1805, locating in Union 
Township, and purchasing his present farm of 120 
acres of land. It is very fertile land, has been 
brought by him to a high state of cultivation, and 
all its improvements are of the best class. He pur- 
sues general farming and is fairly successful in life. 
As a Christian gentleman and citizen, none enjoy 
more fully the entire confidence of their acquaint- 
ances than Mr. Rogers. 



/ip^ AMUEL ROBERTSON, who owns and oc- 
^^^ cupies a fine farm on section 4 in Scott 
](]/_«) Township, was born in Canuonsburg, Pa., 
Oct. 19, 1808, and is a son of John and 
Rebecca (Leach) Robertson, of Scotch-Irish de- 
scent. Shortly after the birth of the subject of 
this sketch they removed to Westmoreland County, 
Pa., where they lived twelve years, and pursued the 






u 

I 

I 
I 

I 
I , 

Idt 

I 

I 

I 

I 




* occMipjition of farming. Tlience they removed to 
Carroll County, Ohio, whore tlu-y li\od until 1 s.'i.'i. 
|g They have since died. 

The subject of this sketch came to this cdunt)- 

iu 18.")."^, and settled in Scott Township, where he 

•EE owns 20.T acres of farm land, fifty-three in timber. 

-!« He was married in I s;57 to Mary Jane Semple, 

.^; who is a native of Wilmington, Del., born Oct. 

22, 1814, and the daughter of Samuel and Jane 

(Crawford) Semple, natives of Ireland, and who 

were among the early pioneers of Ohio. Her 

grandfather was a soldier in the War of 1812. Mr. 

and Jlrs. Robertson are the parents of eight chil- 

ijE dren: Samuel S., born Dec. 1, 1840, at Waj'nes- 

j| burg, Ohio, resides in Sumner County, Kan. ; Jane 

I was born May 13, 1843; Johnson L., born Feb. 10, 

S 1846, resides at home; Ann Eliza, born Sept. 10, 

{ag 1848, died in 18-t3, while en route to this countj'; 

}i;j Robert Dennie, born April 18, 1851, is engaged in 

iJC farming in this township; Sarah Eleanor, born May 

lis '■'^1 18.50, is at home. Two children died in in- 

ig fancy. Mr. Robertson and his wife are members 

i^S of the Presbyterian Church. 

Our subject was a member of the Union League 
fC during the war, and a loyal and devoted supporter 
; of the I'nion cause by his voice, his personal in- 
: fluence, and his vote. He is an uncompromising 
: Republican, who dares to follow what he believes 
; to be right. There are no better citizens in any 
■ country than those whose ancestors came from the 
: north of Ireland. The spirit of liberty imbibed 
: in that far-off land came with them to America, 
: and h.as grown with their growth, and is a part of 
: their very existence. I'pon all questions affecting 
!g the pul>li(' weal they are ever founil upon the side 
' of liberty and justice. 



BNER ALLE>«, a prominent resident of 

I'nion Township, is a pioneer of 18,14. He 

I'i is a native of Hethleheni, Litchfield Co., 

Conn.. his birtii taking place Feb. 16, ISli), 

•iiid is a s(m of James and Clarissa (Way) Allen, 

who were also natives of that State, as were their 

: ancestors as far back as known. Abner is the eld- 





est of six sons, only three of whom grew to man- 
hood, and are yet living: James resides on the old 
homestead, and George P. near his native place. 
The subject of our sketch was reared to farm life, l| 
and managed during the winter months of his early 
life to gain a more than ordinai-j' education, and at 
the age of seventeen commenced teaching, which 
he followed for three sessions. At the age of 
twenty-one years, he turned his face westward, 
stopping first at Cleveland, Ohio, but removing 
soon after to Stark County, where he engaged in 
general merchandising, and continued the business 
for five years. 

In 1846 Mr. Allen returned to Connecticut, and 
was united in marriage with Hannah Hayes, a na- 
tive of Litchfield County. He established himself 
at Bethlehem and remained until the death of his 
wife, which occurred in 1848. The following year 
Mr. Allen went to California by way of the Isthmus 
of Panama, following mining for two years, and 
returned via the Nicaraugua route, the trip prov- 
ing a successful one financiall}'. In the fall of 1851 
he married Betsy Ann Hayes, a sister of his first 
wife. In 1854 they came to Iowa, locating at Os- 
kaloosa, and he began merchandising, associated 
with a Mr. Perkins, under the firm name of Perkins 
& Allen. This association continued one year, 
when Mr. Allen retired from the firm, running the 
queensware business alone until 1858, when he en- 
tered into a partnership under the firm name of 
Cooper ife Allen, and operated a tannery for two \W^M 
years. In the year 1 860 he traded his city property 
for a farm near Oskaloosa, upon which he opened a 
coalmine, and operated the same until 18().'). Dur- 
ing that year he leased the mine, returned to his 
native State, and followed farming for six year.^. 
Returning again to Oskaloosa, on account of hih 
wife's health, .and finding it <lid not improve in this 
latitude, as he expected, he removed to Colorado, 
and resided at Canon City for five years, engaged 
in the harness business. During all this migration 
he still retained the ownership of his pro])erty in 
this county, returning annually to look after his in- 
terests, and in 1877 returned to Mahaska County, 
settling at his present residence, and gives his en- 
tire attention to farming and stock-raising. 

Mr. and .Mrs. Allen are the parents of three rhil- 








=r_3^t 



3i 



!J8 



'^' 



p5?5 



-<^ 




384 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



dren : Miunie C. is the wife of Charles B. Bots- 
ford, to wiiom she was married in Colorado, and 
resides in Connecticut, her native State; James H. 
and George G. reside at home. In his political re- 
lations Mr. Allen is a Democrat. Himself and wife 
are members ()f the Episcopal Church. 

Mr. Allen owns over 800 acres of land in the 
county. His possessions are in an excellent state 
of cultivation, with good and substantial improve- 
ments. In 1««4 he purchased a pair of Polled- 
Angus cattle, but now has a herd of over fifty head 
of high-grade cattle of that breed, which so far as we 
are able to learn, is the.only herd of such cattle in this 
county. He started in life with $1,000 in cash, 
given him by his father, but spent it all before he 
learned how to handle money skillfully. The ex- 
perience gained was, however, of great value, and 
he profited l)y it. He found that the royal road to 
wealth, uf whicii he possesses a fair share, was one 
of industry, good judgment and proper economy, 
and it has bnjught abundant fruit. 

As a successful business man, farmer and stock- 
raiser, Jlr. Allen occupies a prominent position in 
the front rank. As a citizen, neighbor and friend, 
none are more fully established in the confidence 
and esteem of the pul)lic than he. He has led an 
honorable and upright life, with never a deviation 
from that line of duty which teaches that a man 
should d(; unto others .as he would they should do 
unto him. 



GHN T. BOLES, a well-known resident of 
Jefferson Township, was born in Indiana, 
Sept. 4, 1837, and is a son of Augustus and 
(^ji / Julia. (Chambers) Boles, both of whom were 
natives of Kentucky. The subject of this sketch 
came to Iowa in 1 864, settling in Jefferson Town- 
ship, and purchased his present home of 120 acres. 
In 1 868 he was united in marriage with Miss Lucinda 
Taylor, a native of Ohio, born May 3, 1846, and 
who is the daughter of Zachariah and Louisa 
Taylor. By this marriage there have been four 
children — Laura E., Mary L., Phoebe J. and Clara, 
all of whom reside at home. 

Politically Mr. Boles is an intelligent, wide-awake 



Republican. The homestead of 160 acres is excel- 
lent land, in good cultivation, and well improved. 
In addition to the occupation of farming, Mr. Boles 
follows the busine-ss of blacksraithing and wagon- 
making, and has a shop upon his farm. He has fol- 
lowed the business actively for twentj years. Mr. B. 
has been fairly successful in life, having earned his 
present possessions by hard work and good man- 
agement, and is esteemed in all respects a first-class 
citizen, honorable and upright, and of strict in- 
tegrity. 





3;-; 

NDREW RUBY, of Adams Township, sou g| 
of John and Prudence (Thompson) Ruby, S 
is a pioneer of the days of 1845. He was S 
born in ^'irginia, Sept. 13, 1818, was united ;; 
in marriage with Miss Iby '\\inthrow, a native of l:r 
Mrginia, Dec. 18, 1839, and came to Iowa in 1845, J; 
locating in Adams Township. 

Mr. and Mrs. Ruby are the [larents of ten chil- §■; 
dren: Prudence J. is the wife of William Stewart, 
a prominent farmer of Adams Township; Sarah 
A. was married to Stephen Criss in 1861; Lizzie, 
Mrs. Thompson Hauna; Wesley S., John F. and 
Andrew W. reside in this township; Sanford, Har- 
riet E. and two infant children are deceased. Mr. 
and Mrs. Ruby are leading members of the Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church. 

Politically our subject is Republican, and in 
186'2 was elected a member of the County- Board 
of Supervisors, the duties of which position he 
performed in n manner creditable to himself and 
his constituents. 

The farm of Mr. Ruby consists of 392 acres of 
fertile land, in a high state of cultivation and finely | 
improved. Farming has been with him the pursuit S 
of a lifetime, and he has made it a success. The S*, 
country was new and undeveloped when he first ||[ 
settled in Adams Township. Neighbors were few 3 
and their homes far between, and what was raw g 
prairie when he came he has since seen blossom as § 
the rose. 

Andrew Ruby is a man of unusual intelligence, 
a reader and thinker, and possessed of a good fund 
of general information. He is known and res- 







M 



xrrxrrri ^ t'rritTTi lUr Kj tiiT g rrTT: 



ri rrxTTTxrlU? 




l-i 



pected as high minrled, honorable, and of the 
strictest integrity, and enjoys the confuh'nce and 
esteem of an extended circle of acquaintances. 

John Ruby, the father of our subject, was a 
local preacher of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
and died in 1S59. Mrs. Prudence Ruby is yet liv- 
ing in Adams Township at the age of ninety. 




MAHASKA 



~v^/^■■'<<J^J(ii^'i«^^^■ 



■gf3.'Z)?rzi>— -WN^ 






!i 



HOMAS H. B. RYAN, of Prairie Township, 
is a native of Union County, Ohio, where he 
^^^ was born Jul_v !), 184b. He is a son of Jesse 
B. and Mahala Ryan, whose biography and also 
that of Percyrus Ilcitsman. his father-in-law, will be 
found elsewhere in this volume. Our subject came 
with his father's family to Iowa when but two 
years old, and resided on the farm in Richhmd 
Township until he attained to ye.ars of manhood. 
In December, 1873, he w.is united in marriage with 
Miss Kmma M. Ileitsnian, a daughter of Perc3'rus 
and Susan Ilcitsman. She was born April 27, 1853, 
and they removed to Cass County, Neb., where he 
at that time owned eighty acres of land. He, how- 
ever, remained there only one season, when ho sold 
his land and returned to this county, where he has 
since had charge of the estate of P. Ileitsnian, de- 
ceased, which contains 240 acres of land. 

Mr. and Mrs. Ryan are the parents of two chil- 
dren — Ktta May and Mary Eva. In his political 
affiliations (jur subject is a member of the Demo- 
cratic party, and belongs to the Masonic fratei-nit}'. 
Mr. Ryan is a man of good business ability, and is 
successfully managing the estate pntruste<l to his 
care, and as a neighbor, friend and citizen is held 
in high regai-d wherever known. 



— ^• 



^»!^fe^- 



; LOYD DILLEY, a well-known and highl.y 
esteemed farmer and stock-raiser on section 
27, Madison Township, was born in Vir- 
ginia, Jan. 5. 1845, and is a son of Jacob and Eliz- 
abeth Dilley. When he was a boy of seven years 
of age the family came to Iowa and settled in Madi- 
>on Township of this county. Our subject gic" 




to manhood on the farm, and received an excellent 
common-school education. Farming has always 
been his occupation, with the exception of one 
year, when he owned and operated a meat-market 
at Oskaloosa. 

In 1872 Mr. Dilley was married to Sarah Knight, 
a daughter of Samuel .and Lydia Esther Knight. 
Mrs'. Dilley w.as born in 1849, and bj* her marriage 
has become the mother of four children — Charles, 
Arthur, Clara and Roy. 

In his political afiiliations, Mr. Dilley is a member 
of the National (ireeub.ack p.arty, but was fornierl}' 
a Republican. He now owns a farm of 175 acres, 
all of which is in a good state of cultivation and 
well improved. He engages in general farming and 
stock-raising, and is succeeding well in both these 
branches of business. As a man he enjoys the con- 
fidence and esteem of his friends and neighbors, 
and is in every way a most estimable citizen. 

?^ B. EMMi>RT, of Spring Creek Township, a 
farmer, stock-dealer and shipper, residing 
on section 29, was born in Boone Count}', 
Ind., July 24, 1847, and is a son of William and 
Fannie (New) Eramert. The father was a native 
of Indiana, and a farmer by occupation ; he died in 
Indiana in 1867; the mother was a native of Ken- 
tuckj', and still lives at the old homestead in In- 
diana. 

The subject of this sketch, T. B. Emmert. re- 
moved to the State of Illinois, in March, 1868, and 
remained there three years, and from there came to 
Mahaska Count}', settling in Harrison Township, 
near Cedar, where he remained until 1882, when he 
removed to his present home of 100 acres in this 
township, in addition to which he owns thirty-two 
and one-half acres of timber and pasture on section 
31, and 320 acres of improved land in Harrison 
Township. On the home farm he has a fine house 
and barn, and excellent out-buiklings. and the land 
is in the best possible cultivation. 

.June 23. 1867, Mr. Emmert was married lo Miss 
.Martha A. Higgason, a daughter of William and 
Sarah ^Hcrron) Higgason. She was born Jan. 2.j, 




lU 



inr-': 




rarrrrrTTT^ 






1841), in Moiitgomeiy County, Ind. Six children 
have been born to them, as follows: AVilliaui A., 
Sept. 24, 1868; Avis V., Dec. 1. 1869; Fannie M., 
born July 28, 1871, died Oct. .J, 1872; Mary Myr- 
tle, born Nov. 28, 1 87.'3 ; Nellie, born March 5, died 
June 20, 1882; Thomas Harry, born Oct. 1:3,1885. 
Mr. Emmert has made life a success in a V)usiness 
waj', by reason of superior ability, careful manage- 
ment, and honorable ami upright dealings, and 
these have been his characteristics since he has set- 
tled here. Honesty is the best policy in all 
things, and rarely fails to bring to him who be- 
lieves and practices it not only success in life, but 
the highest regard and esteem of his fellow-men. 

* AHLON STANTON, Postmaster at New 
\l\ Sharon, was born in Belmont County', 
li Ohio, Feb. 21, 1819, but at the time of his 
birth his parents were residents of Jeffer- 
son County, and were temporarily living in Bel- 
mont County, where the father was at the time 
teaching scht)ol. His father, Benjamin Stanton, 
was born in North Carolina, but removed with his 
parents when quite young to the State of Ohio, and 
there was united in marriage with Hannah Penrose, 
a native of Ohio. She died in l!S27,_leaving six chil- 
dren. Benjamin Stanton afterward edited an anti- 
slavery newspaper, and took a verj' active part in 
the discussion of that (piestion, daring the earl3' 
years of its agitation, but as he died about the 
year 1848 he did not see his expectations realized 
in this particular. 

Mahlon Stanton, tiie subject of this sketch, re- 
ceived the best possible education afforded by the 
common schools of his_day. He had intended en- 
tering Oberlin College, but was compelled to aban- 
don the idea because of the lack of means. He 
engaged in the occupation of farming, and in 184y 
married Penelope Williams^ a native of Logan 
County, Ohio, and a daughter of Silas and Susana 
Williams. In the fall of 1850 they came to Iowa 
and settled in Jefferson County, where he followed 
farming for two years, and then came to this 
county, locating near (Jskalousa, wliere lie engaged 



in farming, and also dealt largely in live-stock. He 
was at one time a very large landholder in tliis 
county, owning over 2,()00 acres. In the years 
1873-74-75, he owned in partnership with James 
Hurst a large number of cattle, and Ijy reason of 
the decline in i)rices (jf live-stock, he lost the large 
and valuable i)roperty which he had worked so 
many years and so hard to accumulate. In 18S4 
Mr. Stanton located at New Sharon, and Jan. 1, 
1 sjsi;, succeeded David Vail as Postmaster at that 
])lace. His wife died in Jefferson County, in 1S52, 
leaving three children : Lewis, a farmer in this 
county; Andrew W. resides at Oskaloosa; Elnia 
married Robert McAllister, who is in the emplo^y 
of the Government in Indian Territory. She died 
there in January, 1.S.S4. Mr. Stanton was married 
a second time, in 1855, to Arabella Wilson, a na- 
tive of Licking County, OIno, and by this union 
there is one child, Benjamin W., born June 25, 
1860. 

Mr. Stanton was for many years a member of tlie 
I. O. O. F. Politically he was earlj' identified witii 
the anti-slavery movement, and was one of the men 
assisting in the organization of the Ilepublican party 
in this county, and he continued to be an active 
supporter of its principles until the close of tlie late 
Civil War, since which time he has affiliated with 
the National (ireenback party. He represented this 
county in tiie General Assembly of Iowa at the ex- 
tra session of 18G1. Mr. Stanton has been a long- 
time resident of the count}-, and in these years has 
established for himself a character upon which there 
is neither spot nor blemish. 






"iJ'^i 






l^^i-J^ 



■^OHN STEWART was one of the pioneer 
millers of Mahaska County., He is a native 
of Virginia, and when a young man removed 
(^^// witli his parents to Indiana, and were among 
the earliest settlers of Johnson County in tiiat 
State, and there he learned the business of milling. 
In the year ls35 Mr. Stewart was married to 
Martha Park, a native of Pennsylvania. In 1843 
he started to Iowa, making the journey by team, 
stopping during the winter of 1843-44 near Spring- 
field, 111., and in the spring of 1844 renewed tlieir 







ITXTXXII HiTEtrixTl MiJ 




ilUriiitrrrn 







MAHASKA COUNTY. 



387 



i'-$ 



11 



in 

1^ 
111 

i; 
III 

li 
<l 
IP 

li| 
l:!C 

ii! 

li; 

i;> 

li! 

iii 
I-:: 

1 

111! 



journey and came to Jefferson County, in this 
State. In the full of that year they settled in Ma- 
haska County near Oskaloosa. Mr. Stewart at 
once went ti> work .it milling-, and pre.sided over 
the hoppers at the ujjper mill on South Skunk 
River for seven years, and the lower mill for one 
year. He then removed to I'nion Alills and took 
charge for one 3'ear, and for twcj years was in 
charge of the mill near Peoria. After this he i)ur- 
chased KKI acres of land in Adams Township, and 
engaged in farming until the year 1M7I. wiieii Ik^ 
sold out and moved to Polk County, Neli., where 
lie now resides and owns a quarter section of land. 
Mr. and Mrs. Stewart are the parents of six chil- 
dren; two dietl in infanc}', one daughter at the age 
of eighteen 3ears, and the three living are: Will- 
iam, of Adams Township; James W., of Johnson 
County, In<l., and John, at Indianajiolis, Iiul. Mr. 
Stewart in his jjolitical attiliations is a Democrat. 



-i.fk?<#:J>%*V»«V*i'c?tr-3>.T-.'-^ 



\i 

I'il 

[:» 
I 

11:;; 

Mi 

13J 



ACOB DILLEY, of Madison Township, is a 
native of Virginia, born April 1.'), liSlO, and 
is a son of Martin and Catherine Dille}', 
who were also natives of that State. Mr. 
Dilley came to Iowa in the j-ear IH.iJO, and located 
in this county. In 1835 he married Miss Elizabeth 
Bird, a native of Virginia. 63' this marriage there 
were five children : Amos, deceased ; Jane is the 
wife of J. t^. McConnell, of this township; David 
.M. and Floyd also reside in this township, and pur- 
sue the occupation of farming; \\illiam II., a con- 
tractor and line workman, lives in Topeka, Kan. 
Tiie mother of these children died in 187.5, and 
Sept. 2H, 1878, Mr. D. was again mari-ied, to .Mrs. 
Nancy C. Moon, widow of J. Moon. She is the 
daughter of Robert and Margaret (Roseborough) 
McConnell, natives of South Carolina. The former 
died in ls47, and the latter in 18r)7. 

Mr. and .Mrs. Dilley are inenibers of the Chuiiii 
of Jesus Ciirist. He is a [uominent and leading- 
member of the (ireenback parly, and has held the 
offices of .Justice of the Peace, 'J'ownship Assessor 
and R<»ad Snpervisor. He is now the owner of 
IDS acres of land, which is in good ciiltivation'and 
well improved. .Mr. Dilley is a pioneer in tlii^ 



county, and is a man well and favorably known 
during all the years he lias lived in the county. 
He has prosi^ered fairly well, and enjoys fully the 
confidence and regard of his circle of acquaintances 
and friends. 




-tcefi'©-^-' 



-gfSi<3'?nr*<' 




^/ t)HN A. KALBACH is the managing partner 
of 1. Kalbach & Sou, dealers in lumber, sash, 
doors, blinds, and building material, at Os- 
kaloosa. The tirm was organized in 1864, 
and is the pioneer establishment in that line in the 
city. The subject of our sketch was born in Port 
Carbon, Schuylkill Co., Pa., Sept. 1, 1844, and is 
the sou of Isaac and Christian (Koch) Kalbach. 
(See their biography elsewhere in this volume.) He 
removed to Indiana with his parents in 1849, and 
from there to Muscatine, Iowa, in 18.50, and in 1851 
to Oskaloosa. He was educated in the city schools, 
.and in 18G4 engaged in his present business with 
his f.ather. In addition to their lumber business the 
firm have carried on an extensive grain business, 
and were also engaged in the banking and lumber 
business at New Sharon, Iowa. For many 3'ears 
John A. has been managing partner, and has so con- 
ducted the business of the firm that the house of I. 
Kalbach <t Son is rated among the solid and safe 
business firms of the county. The banking and 
other business at New Sharon was simply- .as a mat- 
ter of convenience, .Mr. Kalbach preferring to give 
his entire attention to the original lumber business 
at Oskaloosa. 

He was married at Chicago, 111., .lune 4, 1873, to 
Miss Louisa Patterson, a daughter of Milton Pat- 
terson, formerly' of (ireene County. Pa., where Mrs. 
Kalbach was born, Nov. 2(), 1847. Three children 
have been born of thi> union, one son and two 
daugliters: Warren, .March I'H, l,s74; Helen, Oct. 
211, 1!S7(;, and Annelta. Ajiril <i, It^lx. 

Mrs. Kalba<-h is a member of the Congregational 
Church. Mr. Kalbach is a Mason, an Odd Fellow, 
and a meml>ei- of the A. O. L'. W. He served as a 
member of llie City Council from the First Ward 
in \s7:\. and in 1h7(S was elected a member of the 
lioard of Snpervisors of thi> count}'. In an}' anil 



M 
w 



m 






mn f Tiiiim 



Uli 388 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



all positions Mr. Kalbach has receivefl the commen- 
dation of his fellow-citizens for a conscientious and 
able performer of ever^' duty imposed. In his 
family he is a kind and indulgent husband and fa- 
ther, in his business a man of strictest integrity, and 
in the community a progressive, public-spirited 
citizen. 



: B ^ M. RUSSELL, farmer and stock-grower, re- 
sides on section 36, Cedar Township. He 
was born in Waj^ne County, Ohio, Jan. 1 6, 
1839, and is the son of James and Ruth 
(Harrison) Russell. The former was born in Lan- 
caster County, Pa., and the latter in Uniontown, 
Faj'ette County, the same State. He was a black- 
smith bj' trade when a young man, but in after 
years followed farming until his death, in 1845, in 
Wayne County, Ohio. His wife died in Fulton 
County, Ind., in 1852. They were the parents of 
eleven children — Frederick, T. J., Mary A., J. H., 
^^ Sophia, Franklin, Sarah J., J. M. and G. W. (twins), 
E. Y., and E. F., who served in Co. D, 11th 111. 
Vol. Cav., and died at Vicksburg, Miss. 

The subject of this sketch, J. M. Russell, at the 
death of his mother, was a lad of fourteen years, 
and from that time on made his way alone in the 
world, most of the time among strangers, working 
in the summer months and going to school in the 
winter. During three years of his single life he 
made his home with a brother. 

In January, 1861, Mr. Russell was married to 
Rosa Coburn, born JNIay 28, 1838, in Madison 
County, Ind. She is a ' daughter of William and 
Rachel (Ellsworth) Coburn, both natives of Ohio. 
William Coburn was a soldier in the late War for 
the Union, and belonged to the 2d Illinois Battery, 
organized at Peoria, 111. He died in the service, 
ig^ll and was taken care of by the fraternitj- of Odd 
Fellows. His father, Samuel Coburn, was a soldier 
in the War of 1812. 

Mr. and Mrs. Russell have become the parents 
of twelve children: Ora B., Rose E., William S., 
^^^ George M., Rachel B., Elijah F., Sophia P. and 
Jason A. are living. Those deceased are Georgia, 
Clara L., Luella and Daniel L. Mr. Russell en- 
listed in the late war, Aug. 8, 1»G2, in Cu. K, 86th 



im 





111. Vol. Inf., Capt. John F. French, and served six 
months, and was then mustered out because of dis- 
abilitj'. His twin brother and E. Y. and E. F. alsi« 
enlisted, the latter dying in the service. 

Socially Mr. Russell is a member of the G. A. H.; 
politically he affiliates with the Republican party. 
Himself and wife are members of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church. He owns 200 acres of land, all 
in a high state of cultivation, with a fine fr.ame 
dwelling, commodious and well-arranged liarn. and 
other improvements; in fact, everything about the 
place is first class. The personal chaiaoter of Mr. 
Russell is beyond reproach. He is a conscientious 
Christian gentleman, practicing the spirit of the 
Golden Rule in all the affairs of life, and is greatly 
esteemed bv friends and neighbors. 



;^ 



•€-*^- 



-^ 



3i; i 



S'i 



y 



vILLlAM S. TREDICK, a successful farmer 
of Garfield Township, is a native of Phila- 
delphia, Pa., where he was born June 29, 
1836,nudisa son of Thomas and Mary (Stavers) 
Tredick, natives of New Hampshire. They removed 
to Portsmouth, N. H., in 1838, and there Thomas 
Tredick still lives, in his eighty-eighth year; his 
wife died in 1842, at Portsmouth. 

The subject of our sketch, at the age of eighteen, 
went to Biddeford, Me., and commenced to learn the 
trade of machinist, working at the business one and 
a half years. From there he removed to Marshall, 
Mich., where he worked on a farm for two years, 
and attended the Michigan Agricultural College at 
Lansing for two years. In the fall of 1859 he came 
to this county, and in the spring of 1860 purchased 
100 acres of land in Garfield Township, on section 
21, where he has since resided. The land was but 
slightly improved at that time, but has, under his 
management, been brought to a very high state of 
cultivation and of improvement, his residence alone 
costing nearly §3,000. 

Mr. Tredick was married, in March, 1861, to Miss 
Matilda Batterton, a native of Bloomiugton, Ind. 
By this marriage there are four children; May, 
wife of John Mc Williams, of Garfield Township; 
Hattie. Charles and Wilfred. His wife died Feb. 
7, 1876, and Feb. lt<, 1877, he was again married. 



1*Efi 



r 




; 



to Miss Margaret Moore, n native of Indiana. 
They are members of the Congregational Church of 
()skaIoosa. 

Politically Mv. Tredick is a Republican. lie is 
engaged in general farming, in which he lias been 
very successful, and few, if an3", farms are more pro- 
ductive, or have been brought to a higher state of 
cultivation. Mr. Tredick is a man of quiet and ini- 
assuming manner, of liberal education, and of a 
strong social disposition, hospitable and generous, 
and as a citizen is highly esteemed by all liis ac- 
quaintances. 



iOBKRT AVHARTON, residing upon section 
7, Jefferson Township, is numbered among 
it^V the pioneers of 1854. locating upon thatsec- 
^5@tion on the 19th daj- of September of that 
3'ear, and on this homestead he has since continued 
to reside. He was born in Morgan County, Ohio, 
in 1818, and is a son of John and Mary Ann 
(Smith) 'Wharton, both. natives of Pennsylvani.i. 
His father w\as an earl}- settler of Ohio, having 
moved there about 1814. 

Robert AVharton was reared on a farm and re- 
ceived his education in the common schools of his 
native State. When eighteen years of age he ac- 
companied his parents to Delaware County, Ind., 
where he lived eight years, and was there married, 
Jan. 4, 1844, to Nancy Starbuck, a native of In- 
diana. Immediately after this event he removed 
to La Porte County, Ind., where he bought a farm 
of eighty acres of land, and there resided until 1854, 
when he moved to this county and entered 200 
acres of river land, which he improved, .and has now- 
one of the finest farms in Mahaska County. 

Six children were born to his union with Miss 
Starbuck : John W., now in Osborne County, Kan. ; 
Tristam S., who died in 1881 at Creston, Iowa, of 
small-pox; Mary C. is the wife of Jeremiah Rose, 
now residing in California; Nancy Jane is now 
the wife of .Simon Mcintosh, and resides in Wash- 
ington County, Kan. : William A. is in Washington 
County Kan., engaged in farming; Thomas Jeffer- 
son is also a farmer in Washington County, Kan. 

Mrs. Wharton died Aug. 26. 1856. at the age ..f 
twenty-nine years. .Mr. Wharton was again mar- 




ried, the ceremony taking place March 1. 1857, aixl 
the bride being Mary J.ane Ashing, of Ohio. By 
this union there v>erc five children, four of whom 
are now living: Isaac Wilsey married Miss Addie 
Stoker, Nov. 25, 1886, in Jefferson Township; 
Leroy is now in Dakota; Tabitha is the widow <if 
Martin Curtis, and lives at home; E. Alice is the 
wife of Ebonezer Ans]).ach, of Marion County, Iowa ; 
Leah died at the age of one year. 

In addition to the home farm of 240 acres, Mr. 
Wharton is the possessor of forty .acres in Marion 
County, Iowa, and 160 .-icres in Kansas. He is a 
member of the A. F. & A. M.,and has in times past 
lieen connected with the I. O. O. F. He has been 
honored with many of the local oftices in his town- 
ship. He held the office of Justice of the Peace 
for eight 3-ears, and was a member of the Board of 
Supervisors of the county for two years, represent- 
ing his township at the time vvhen each township ijj! | 
was represented on the board bj' one member. For 
twentj'-three years he was Treasurer of the School 
Board of the District of Jefferson Township, and 
was also Assessor two terms. In politics Mr. 
AVharton is a Democrat. Few men are better known 
in the western part of the county than Robert 
Wharton, and he is recognized by all as one of 
Nature's noblemen, honest as the day is long. 



i~ A. GARRETT, a farmer and stock-raiser, re- 
siding on section 13, Harrison Township, was 
_i born in McDonough Count3', 111., F'eb. 27. 
1846, and is the son of Coleman and Mildred (Wil- 
lis) Garrett. 

Our subject removed from Illinois to Mahaska 
County', Iowa, in 1 873. and was married to Mary 
L. Ross, a daughter of Denison and Elizabeth 
(Adams) Ross. She is a native of Ohio, born in 
1835. Her father was a native t>f Delaware, and 
her mother of Ohio. To them have been born two 
children — Theressa M. and Cora B. 

.Mr. Garrett enlisted in Co. C, 30th 111. Vol. 
Inf.. under command of Capt. Adair, in October, 
18()4, and was captured at Kingston. N. C. before 
reaching his ci)mmand. He was taken at once to 
Lilibv Prison, at Richmond. \ a.. « liere lie w.m^ 



llXlXIXXZlAlUIUKKJtXXjrEXli 





390 




m 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



kept for eighteen days, when he was exchanged : 
and sent to .Springfield, 111., whence he was sent 
home <in a thirty days' furluugh, but was shortly 
afterward mustered out of service and remained at 
home. I 

Mr. (iarrett owns 1 GO acres of land, all in a high 
state of cultivation, the improvements being first 
class, and in his business of general farming and 
stock-raising is successful and prosperous. lie is a 
man of excellent judgment, a good manager, a 
social, i)lensant gentleman, and an estimable citizen. 
Politically he is a Republican. 



«-^«^*-r;3»^ 



>^5<^<tf5^--^ 




ERCYRUS HEITSMAN, deceased, was 
fi numbered among the pioneers of this 
county of ISoo. He was a native of New 
Jersey, born April oU, 1814, and was 
reared a farmer's boy. In 1)S4(» he was united in 
marriage with Miss Susan Mershon, a native of 
New Jerse}', who was born July 11, ISIT. In 
1840 they removed to Ohio, locating in Marion 
County, and engaged in farming until 1853, when 
they loaded their worldly possessions and Ave little 
children into a covered wagon and, after a tedious 
journey of about si.x weeks, arrived in this county. 
They settled on section 1, Prairie Township, and 
Mr. Ileitsman purchased a farm which was origi- 
nallj- opened up by Mr. A. C. Doze, and here followed 
farming the remainder of his life, his death occur- 
ring Oct. j, 1882. His widow yet survives, and re- 
sides on the homestead. The^y were the parents of 
eight children, of whom one died in infancy, in 
New Jersey; Margaret became the wife of Jacob 
Fisher, and died at the age of fort^'-one years; 
<me son, Lewis, died when twenty-seven years old. 
The five living are : Jacob, in Union Township ; 
George, in Poweshiek County ; John Irving, in Prai- 
rie Township; Emma, wife of Thomas H. B. Ryan, 
who resides on the homestead, and William, who 
lives in Union Townshii). 

Politicall}' Mr. Ileitsman was a lifelong Demo- 
crat. His religious connection was with the Chris- 
tian Union Churcli. Me was a man of medium 
size, and a hard worker all his life. Among his 
neigiiboi's lie was esteemed for his »oci:il qu.alities; 



at home he was a kind husband and loving father, 
and among his business acquaintances greatly re- 
spected as an honorable, upright man and a tir>t- 
class citizen. 




3ii 



LONZO ROCK'WELL, of Union Towushi[i, 3; 

was born in the State of Vermont, Jan. 1 1, 

1832. Dec. 12, 1858, he was united in 

marriage with Margaret Vore, a nati^•e of jj 

Maryland, who was born Nov. 10, 1840. They be- a' 

c - 
came the parents of five children: Ida E., born i^ 

Feb. 23. 1862; Edward W., Nov. 4, 18G4;Milo A., sf^ 

April 4, 1807 ; Elsie J., June 1 , 1801» ; Walter L., Nov. ? 

29, 1871. The mother of these children died Feb. = 

18, 1870, and Aug. 16, 1878, he was again married, 3 

to Mary E. Hiatt, who was born Sept. 24, 1847. By ; 

this marriage there were four children: Karl M., g 

born Aug. 4, 1879; Ruby II., Nov. 15, 1880; 

Pha-be E., Sept. 26, 1881 ; Flora B., July 31, 1880. i 

Mr. Rockwell came to Iowa in the year 1858, 
and settled upon his present farm, consisting of 
100 acres of good land, well cultivated, the im- 
provements of which are of the better class, and 
pursues the occupation of general farming. In his 
political afliliations he is a Republican; himself 
and wife are members of the Society of Friends. 

Alonzo Rockwell is an estimable citizen in the 
fullest sense of the word. He is of the progress- ; .i! 
ive order of farmers, possessing much push and Eii 
energy, and has enjoyed a good degree of success S 
in his present business. That he enjoys the confi- 3^ 
dence of his neighbors and friends is beyond ques- «,: 
tion. His character is in all respects above and 
beyond reproach. 



^^ 



-■"\^^.-^^/ljiJlU.'&^^- 



,»^,S/(TZrj»\~ -v/vN/>. 



1 
I 
1 
I 
1 
I 
1 
I 
551 
SEl 
"■ 1 
I 
I 
I 
I 
1 
1 
I 
I 
I 



^f OSEPIl E. CRAFT, a well-known and i)ros- 

perous farmer and stock-grower on section 

• 'it 

7, Cedar Township, was born in (ireene ^ti 

County, Pa.. April 22, 1840, and is.the son 

of Peter and Tacy (Deagood) Craft, who came to 3^] 

Iowa about the j'ear 1856. The latter is since a 

deceased, but the former survives, and is liv- pj 

ing a retired life near Ottumwa, Iowa. The sul 



jec( of this sketch was married, Dec. l.s, 1873. l( 







Vs^^SSsi 



[xxurrxirt j.- 



SZB3 



rs 



'•V 






t?55SHaP^„ , „ „ ,C?55^^„„ 




'■:t 



Allie Tennis, a native of Beaver County, Pa., and 
ii daughter of Jolin and Elizabeth (Aiken) Tennis, 
who reside in Ilairison Townshiji, this county, on 
section 7. li^y this union four chihlren have been 
born — Mary Eva. Elizabetii 1'., Nellie 15.. and unc 
who died in infancy. 

Mr. t'rafl is the owner u<i Kid acres of si)lcndid 
land, all in caltivatiun. and with the best class of 
improvements. He has a line barn. .'5(;x.54 feet, 
with 2 t-f(»)t posts, and a half basement, built at a 
cost of si. ■iDit, .-ukI especially adapted to his busi- 
ness of line stock-raising. Mr. Craft is a breeder 
of thoroughbred Short-horn cattle, and is begin- 
ning to get together a herd of very tine animals. 
The females of his herd are members of the family 
of Flor.as; the males are descendants of the Duke 
of Barmpton. He keeps a fine assortment of 
Poland-China hogs, the principal animals of his 
herd being recorded stock, and is also paying at- 
tention to the raising of horses, and has several 
fine graded animals. 

Mr. Craft and wife are members of the L'nited 
Presb3'terian Church. Mr. C. is succeeding I'e- 
niarkably well in his business of general farming 
and stock-raising, and brings to the conduct of his 
business energy, iudustr3- and zeal, and a thorough 
knowledge of what he professes. His representa- 
tions can be relied upon implicitly, and because of 
his established reputation in the community where 
he resides he enjoys in a marked degree the con- 
fidence of friends and acquaintances. 

1^^ YLVEf5TER_ BOYLE8. of .Monroe Town- 
^^^ ship, was born in Sullivan County, Pa., 
Kl/jl) -Ian. 11. KS40. He came to Iowa Aug. 12, 
l.sG.j,and was united in marriage with Mrs. 
Lucinda McMains, May 25, isTl. .'uid to them one 
child h:is been born, Joel A., at home. Mrs. 
Boyles' first marriage occurred Feb. 20, 1851, by 
which she became the mother of five children, as 
follows: Mary, deceased; Amanda E., now the 
wife of W. A. lyarkins, of Pleassmt (irove Town- 
ship; Charity L. is the wife of T. .1. Eiseminger, 
anil live> in White Oak Township; .lordon lives in 
( .n-.uudciil County. Ivan., and Homer, in Monroe 



Township, this county. The father of these chil- 
dren died Dec. 17, 1865. Mrs. Boyles is the daugh- 
ter of Joel and Loretta Jared Adkinson, both of 
whom were natives of ^'irginia. Her father died 
in 18.H2. llei- mother is still living, and_niakes 
her home with her daughter. Mrs. Hamilton Hrown, 
of M(jnroe Township. 

Politically Mr. Boyles is a Democrat. .Mr. and 
Mrs. Boyles own 188 acres of good land, all in cul- 
tivation and well improved. He [losses-ses all the 
([ualities of a good citizen, is an energetic, indns- 
tri(jus man, honorable and upright, and enjoys the 
confidence and regard of his friends and ac(iuaint- 
ances. 




wm 



-«- 



Mi 



Ip 



urn 



^jp^ S. COOK, deceased, was a physician and 
^^^^ surgeon, the son of Ira and Irene Cook, 
|H/_jR who now reside in Hardin County, Iowa. 
He was born in Indiana, Juh' 1.'), 18.J2, 
and received but a limited education in the public 
schools, but b^' subsequent reading and stud}- be- 
came a well-posted man upon most subjects of 
interest, and might properly be termed self-edu- 
cated. In 18.'j;j he came to Mahaska Connt\% and 
located at Fremont. 

On the loth day of April, 1854, he was married 
to Sarah A. Eastburn, a daughter of Benjamin and 
Elizabeth (Haigh) Eastburn, born in Indiana Dec. 
15, 1834. Her father died in 1872. and her mother 
in 1882. Mr. and Mrs. Cook became the parents 
of five children: Alice M., Laura E. and Albei't 
N. are deceased; Rosa B. is the wife of Dr. Will- 
iam Bair, a graduate of the medical department of jj!;;i| 
the Nebraska SLate University, and resides in Ox- Ipillp 
foni. Neb.; .Sylv;inus S. is married, and lives in 
Jasper Count}', Iowa. 

From his youth Mr. C ook desired to become a 
physician, while his father desired him to learn the 
tanner's trade. But he could not give up his 
cherished ambition, therefore read medicine, and 
in 1855 begsui its practice at Fremont, subsequently 
removing to Richland, Keokuk Co., Iowa. After 
commencing the practice of medicine, he attended 
lectures at the Cincinnati Medical College, from 
which institution he received his diploma in 185H. 
when he entered actively into the practice of nied- 



H. 



I 



ffZKZuixjim 



iinxTfirsjTi 










pw 



kid 



392 



MAHAvSKA COUNTY. 



;i;n 



icine and surgery, and continued in the work until 
1863. He was then commissioned, July la, as 
Assistant Surgeon of the •24th Iowa Infantry, serv- 
ing as such for six months, when he was sent to 
Vicksburg as a Contract Surgeon, and died of 
disease contracted in the service Jan. 15. 1864. 

Dr. Cook was a member of the Baptist Church, 

and was a sincere Christian man. He was highly 

Pp] esteemed b}^ all who knew him. After the death 



h 

Hi 




II 





as a man of strict integrity, conscientious and hon- 
est in his business matters, and enjoying fully the 
liioh regard of all with whom he has to do in the 
business or personal relations of life. 



-€-*-^- 



H'of her husband Mrs. Cook returned to M.ihaska 
Bl County, where she has since continued to live. She 
iiis the owner of forty acres of good land, has a 
good house and small barn, and other excellent im- 
provements about the place, and is a lady highly 
f^i esteemed for her many excellent qualities of head 
and heart by an extended circle of friends and ac- 
quaintances. Mrs. Cook is a member of the Baptist 
Church. 

HOMAS BRIGGS, of Union Township, is a 
son of William and Jane (Roman) Briggs, 
the former a native of Ohio and the latter 
of Pennsylvania, both now deceased. He was born 
u in Belmont County, Ohio, Feb. 4, 1838, and fol- 
^^ lowed the occupation of farming in that State. 
Mr. Briggs was united in marriage with Miss Mar- 
garet Spear, a native of Guernsej' County. Ohio, 
and daughter of John and Elizabeth Spear. The 
father is deceased, but the mother j-et survives. 
They are the parents of eleven children, eight now 
living: Estella J., boru July 24, 1868; Dillon H. 
Oct. 30, 1869; Albert A., May 11, 1871; Carrie 
E., Sept. 20. 1872; Thomas E., Feb. 24, 1874; 
Cora A., born Aug. 13, 1875, died April 21, 1886; 
AVilliam E., born Feb. 7, 1877, died Feb. 5, 1879; 
Lewis K., boru April 18, 1878; Marj' E.. Jan. 7, 
1880; John Clifford, born May 30, 1881, died 
April 21, 1886; Ilattie M. D., boru Dec. 23, 1885. 
Mr. Briggs is a member of the Republican partj-, 
and at present holds the office of School Director 
in his district. His religious connection is with 
I the Society of Friends. He came to Iowa in the 
^year 1870. locating in Union Township upon sec- 
tion 29, and pursued the occupation of farming, in 
which he has been greatly prospered. He manages 
his business prudently' and economically, is rated 




MORY REED, of Pleasant Grove Township, 
is a farmer and merchant. He was born in 
Jefferson County, N. Y., Sept. 21, 1853, but 
while still a mere child his parents removed to She- 
boygan County-, Wis., where they lived until 1868, 
going thence to Mower County, Minn., where they 
lived until 1876, when they came to lovva and re- 
sided for a period of five years, locating in this 
county in 1881. Mr. Reed is proprietor of a gen- 
eral store at Barnes Citj% carries a well-assorted 
stock of goods and is doing an excellent tr.ade, and 
is also the owner of a farm of 1 30 acres of good 
land, well improved and in a good state of cultiva- 
tion, and combining the two br.anches of business, 
both of which he manages witii ability and skill, is 
succeeding financiall}'. 

In 1878 iMr. Reed was united in marriage with 
Miss Ella Harper, and to them have been born four 
children— Ollie S., Millie, Effie and Willie. Mr. 
R. is an active member of the Republican party, 
and a warm supporter of its principles, and takes 
great interest in the success of its candidates for 
office. He is a member of the A. F. & A. M. 

Our subject has shown himself to be a man of 
more than ordinary ability in the management of 
his affairs, is a reader and thinker, and fully quali- 
fied to express himself upon all questions that come 
before the people for their decision. In his various 
relations with the world he measures up to the full 
standard of good citizenship, and enjoys the full 
confidence of all with whom he comes in contact, 
either in the social relations of life or in a business 
way. 

.*~;{c- -> <i><— - -;':—<► 

EN J AM IN F. TODD, who for over thirty 

years has been a resident of Spring Creek 

Township, is located on section 10, where 

he has a fertile farm and comfortable honif. 

Mr. Todd was born in Darke County, Ohio, Feb. .s. 




m 

::i 

31:1 
:';! 

3''1 

3:;i 
-I ■ 

£1 

H 

El 

El 



ti 

El 

i:i 



^i 






'tiJldr-UJil 




1^^^^ 






p 

i;t: 
nr 



M 

if 

'IS 



IE! 

lit 



13 

1=5 

1:« 



'St 



1| 

1$ 
IS 

I2t 






1?P 






MAHASKA COUNTY. 



1827, and is a son of Noah and Mary (Barton) 
Todd. Noah Todd was a distiller, and was acci- 
dentally scalded to death in the year 1827. His 
wife died in 1855. 

The subject of this sketch, at the age of nineteen 
months, together with his brother William, two 
years his senior, was bound out to a Mr. Edward 
Barton to remain until they reached their ma- 
jority. Mr. Barton died soon after, and tlie boys 
were turned over to his son, William Barton, of 
Wayne County, Ind. Here the bo3'S remained until 
they reached the age of twentj'-one j'ears, when 
each of them received $100 cash and a horse, sad- 
dle and bridle. In 1852 Mr. Todd came to Ma- 
haska County, whither his brother had precode<l him 
two 3'ears before, and has I'emained here ever 
since, save three years of his service in the Union 
army. He enlisted, Aug. 5, 18()2. in Co. K, 33d 
Iowa Vol. Inf., Capt. Mcintosh Commander, and 
went into camp at Oskaloosa, thence to Benton 
Barracks at .St. Louis, Mo., thence into Kentucky, 
and followed all the wanderings of his regiment, 
particii)ating in all its eng.igements. He met the 
enemy at Vazoo Pass, Helena and Little Rock, 
thence went on the Camden expedition, including 
the battles at Poison Creek, Prairie d'Ainie and 
Jenkin's Ferr}'. After these he was removed to 
New Orleans, and from there to Mobile, Ala., 
where, with the command, he was thirteen days and 
nights under a continuous tire from tlie enemy. 
Following this the regiment was ordered to Mexico, 
to the Rio CJrande River, as a portion of the Army 
of Observation, and to secure a lot of artiller3' 
which the rebel General, Kirby Smith, had dis- 
posed of to Maximilian, at that time Emperor of 
Mexico. The guns were secured, and after a sta^y 
of six weeks the regiment was ordered to New Or- 
leans to lie mustered out. 

After his discharge from service Mr. Todd re- 
turned home, and has since been engaged in faiin- 
ing. lie was married, Sept. 1 1. IMoO, U> .Miss Lu- 
rana Barton, who was l)orn March 15, 182S, and is 
a daughter of Andrew and Celia (Boswell)Barton. 
There were six children born to this union: Will- 
iam H.; Elizabeth and Ann E., deceased; twins. 
who died in infancy, and Leander J. Mr. Todd 
has sixty -eight acres of land, all of which is in an 



excellent state of cultivation and well improved, 
and from its few but fertile acres he reaps each 
3'ear a bountiful harvest of golden grain. His resi- 
dence, barn and other buildings are of the best char, 
acter. Politically Mr. Todd is a firm believer in 
the principles of the Republican party, believing 
them to be more conducive of good than those of 
any other political organization. Personall}' he is 
a man greatly esteemed by friends and acquaint- 
ances for his business integrity and correct habits. 




^^; LONZO N. CHURCH, of Scott Township, 
i@j^| { was born in Seneca County, Ohio, April 13, 
1 8-44, being a son of Eli and Mary (Woods) 
1^^ Church, the former a native of Ohio, and 

the latter of IMaryland. They were married at 
Seneca, Ohio, and came to Mahaska County in the 
fall of 1849, when the subject of this sketch was 
four j-ears old, settling on section 25 of Scott Town- 
ship, where they resided until their death, the hus- 
band dying in May, 1870, aged sixt^'-five years, 
and the wife in April, 1871, at the age of sixt}'- 
seven. Thej' were among the earliest settlers in 
Mahaska Countj'. Father Church was a regular 
mechanic, and kept up a sliop. w^orking at his trade 
as well as farming. 

The subject of this sketch remained on the farm 
with his father, working in the field and in the 
shop until 1862, when, the late Rebellion being in 
progress, he enlisted in the 33d Iowa Infantrv, 
.luly 18 of that year, and served with that com- 
mand until it was mustered out at the close of the 
war. .Tuly 17, IsC"). He participated in the mein- 
ornble battles of Helena, Little Rock, Prairie 
l)"Ainie, Poison Spring, Camden. Jenkin's Ferry, and 
was at the siege of Spanish Fort and Mobile, where 
theii' regiment was under fire continuously thirteen 
days and nights, and was also engaged in numer- 
ous skirmishes and other unimportant engagements. 
While on the Camden exi)edition. he became 
afflicted with opthalmia, which confined him to the 
regimental hospital about one month, and kept him 
from active duty for a period of four months, and 



u 



[mm 

1.1 



M 



[f^^ 



wm 



.s 







xnjncxxj 






Tiff** 

394 




— '~"Jgy'^'*y?U J:tir^ixi-rii.iTrxx t rTTiiz rtJiTi- 

MAHASKA COUNTY. =f}i " 



from the effects of whi(^h he has never recovered. 
After the war Mr. Cliiireh retiii-iied to his home in 
this connty, residiiiti' in the city r>f Oskaloosa for 
seven years. 

He was married, A\m\ 1 0, 1 ,s70, to Miss Snsannah 
.Tane Bartlow. a danghter of William and Ursula 
Bartlow, for biographical sivetch of whom see else- 
where in this volume. Mr. and Mrs. Church are 
the parents of three children: Jesse Cheney En- 
gene, born Feb. 25, 1871; Clara Estella, Nov. 4, 
1872; Daisy Etta, July 26, 187.5. 

Our subject owns a tidy little farm of fifty-four 
acres in this township which he has well improved. 
He is a member of the G. A. R., and has been Con- 
stable of Scott Township for seven years past, mak- 
ing a most efficient officer. 



pil 

S'fiT 1^ )>,ESLEY SHOEMA 
M W July 24, 1841, his 



SHOEMAKE, of Madison Town- 

lefferson County, Iowa, 

parents being Enoch and 

II Desdemona (Nichols) Siioemake. His father was 

a native of Ohio and his mother of Indiana. They 



M nj came to Iowa in the year 1 840, locating in Jefferson 
^pjl County, where they resided for three years, then 
^ '*^ came to this county and settled in Madison Town- 
ship, where they took up a claim and improved it. 
His mother died in the year 1844, and his father 
in 1874. 

The suljject of this sketch, Wesley Shoemake, 
was married to Miss Elizabeth Coffin, Dec. 12, 
18G0. She is a native of Indiana, born in 1843, 
and a daughter of .lohn and I^leanor (^'otaw) 
Coffin, who were natives of Indiana. Her father 
died in 18.')2. Her mother is still living, and is 
now the wife of James Horner, of Madison Town- 
ship. Mr. and Mrs. Shoemake are the parents of 



Pal 




" ''yfive children : Frank married Miss Cora Else, and 
lives in Madison Township; Alice, his twin sister, 
died in 18();>; Edna died in 1876, and infant tvvins 
in 1878. 
! Mr. Shoemake is a member of the Masonic fra- 
tiSfi^lUternit^'. He is an advocate of a union in Christ, of 
which there is an organizatioii in Madison Town- 
ship known as the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ, 
which has a considerable following iu that portion 




of the county. In 1881 the members of the church 
built a very neat clnmli. 28x38 feet, at a cost of 
|!l,;'»00, where they hold regular services every Sab- 
bath. The founder of this denomination is also the 
Pastor of the church. 

Politically IMr. Shoemake is a Republican. He 
began the struggle of life for himself twenty-five 
years ago, with a capital of ^lOO. To-day he is 
the owner of 580 acres of fine land, in an excellent 
state of cultivation, and with improvements of the 
best class. He pursues general farming and en- 
gages quite extensively in raising cattle and hogs, 
and is considered one of the successful farmers of 
this count}'. He is a mau of much more than 
average ability', intellectually, and in a business 
way, and while he devotes much thought and at- 
tention to the spiritual welfare of the outside world, 
finds ample time for the proper care and attention 
of temporal matters, and pushes the business of the 
farm with commendable energy, and to snccessfid 
results. He is highl}* regarded by a large circle of 
friends and .acquaintances. 



k'.. I 

is' 

1 
1 
I 

I 
1 
1 
1 



^•<s$-<ii>-te>fe 



* SAIAH PICKRELL, a well-known and higiily 
il' respected resident of Prairie Township, is one 
lii of the pioneers of 1858. He waS born in 
Logan County, Ohio, Feb. 27, 1831, and is a son of 
William P. and Mary (Williams) Pickrell, the for- 
mer a native of Ohio, and the latter of "Virginia. 
Jlr. Pickrell in his earl}- days was a tanner b}- trade, 
and followed that business for many years, but in 
the latter years of his life pursued the occup.ation 
of farming. He brought his familj- to Iowa in tlie 
year 1 850, settling first in Jefferson County, and re- 
siding there until 1858, when he came to tiiis 
county and took up his residence at Oskaloosa, de- 
parting this life in 1884, at the ripe age of seventy- 
six years. His wife died in 1872, at the age of 
sixty-four. They were the parents of four chil- 
dren, one of whom died in childhood. Isaiah, the 
subject of this sketch, is the eldest; Sarah J. lives 
at Oskaloosa; Martha is the wife of Cyrus Beede, 
Secretary of the Iowa Life and Endowment Asso- 
ciation, of Oskaloosa. 

Isaiah Pickrell. the subject of this sketch, came 



;i 



Ell 



pi 



n 




r?- J'rJ '^> Utfi 



; iirzxzfUfxxxzixxzxi' 
< iitixLijiiiijirixiii 




MAHASKA COUNTY 



with his parents to Iowa, and in !«(!() was united 
in marriajie with IMiss Klizahi'tli Iliatt. a daughter 
of Amos and Lydi.i Iliatt. Slie was horn in Iligli- 
land County, Ohio, Aug. 1(1. IS.'iS. To ihcni have 
been born seven chihlren: Cyrus; Lydia, wlio died 
at the age of four years; Mary, Caroline, William, 
Anna and Amos. Soon after his marriage Mr. 
Pickrell loeated in Jefferson County, but returned 
to Mahaska County in If<()2, and followed farming 
near Oskaloosa until 1867, when he purchased his 
present farm in Prairie Township. It consists of 
220 acres of excellent land, in the best possible 
condition of cultivation and with first quality im- 
provements thei'con. 

Mr. Pickrell follows mixed farming, and is num- 
bered among the successful and prominent farmers 
of this county. The qualities that so much com- 
mended his excellent father have descended to the 
son, and the honor of the family is in most v/orthj' 
hands. Of him no evil can be spoken, in truth, 
and there is much in his daily life and conversation 
that is worthy of emulation. He possesses all the 
qualities that go to make up the full measure of 
honorable manhood, and enjoys the fullest confi- 
dence and esteem of all acquaintances. 



ARRIET I-:. AT WOOD, of Adams Town- 
shi]). was born In Johnson County, Ind., 
Nov. (!, 1<S33, and came to Iowa with her 
parents in 1849. Her father. Rev. Alfred 
N. Atwood, \vas born in \irginia, Sept. 11, 1809, 
and her mother, Nancy (Kelly) Atn'ood, in Ken- 
tucky, Nov. 5, 1800. Her father was a Raptist 
minister, commencing his ministry before leaving 
Indiana, and continuing actively in the work until 
his death, which took place in this county, Dec. 24, 
1867. He taught the first school in Adams Town- 
ship. In 1864 he was a member of the County 
Board of Supervisors, and served with credit to 
himself and his constituents. The mother ilied 
Oct. 1, 1877. They were the parents of two chil- 
dren: Harriet K.. the subject of this sketch, and 
Mary E.. wife of Woodford Bass, of Monroi' Town- 
ship. 

Miss Atwood received her land from her father. 




who owned at the time of his death, 2,00() acres, 
which was equally divided between the girls. She 
at present owns 880 acres of excellent land in good 
cultivation, and well improved. Slie was reared in 
the belief of tlie Baptist Cliurch. She |)ossesses 
many excellent traits of character, prominent 
among which are her amiable disposition and kind- 
ness of heart, and is very highly esteemed bj' her 
extended circle of friends and acquaintances. 




^■ m «m Ti »^ 



0^~- IIAR1.es PHELPS, of Richland Township, 
dates his residence in this county back to 
— ■ the year 1848. He was bom in Champaign 
County, Ohio, July 27, 1881, and is a son of Syl- 
vester and Maria (L.athrop) Phelps, natives of Con- 
necticut (see biography elsewhere in this book), 
who came to Iowa in the fall of 1848, bringing the 
subject of our sketch with them, and he has since 
been a resident of Richland Township. Prior to 
coming to this State he had received an excellent 
common-school education in Ohio. In 1856, in 
partnership with Lauren Osborn and Albert Phelps, 
he built what is known as the Johnston sawmill, lo- 
cated on Buck Creek, in this township. The ma- 
chinery of this mill was purchased in Columbiana 
County, Ohio, shipped by steamboat to Burling- 
ton, and thence transported by team to its desti- 
nation. Mr. Phelps continued his eonnectit>n with 
the firm for about three years. 

March 11, 1858, Mr. Phelps was married to Eve- 
line Martin, born in West \'irginia, Nov. 11, 18;?9, 
and a daughter of M. J. and Sophia Martin, who 
located iu this county in the fall of 1855, and l<« 
them eight children have been liorii: Emma A. is 
the wife of Robert Savage, of Sherman County. 
Neb.; Edna S. is the wife of Joseiih Hanway, of 
Elk County, Kan. ; Lida M. is the wife of John 
Castre, residing iu Kansas; William H.. Julia C, 
Lyman L., Roljert O. and Neta .May are at home. 

Shortly after his marriage Mr. Plielps dissolved 
his connection with the sawmill and settled upcm 
his present farm, a portion of which, eighty' acres, 
he had received from his father's estate. Politically" 
Mr. Phelps has been a Republican since the organi- 
zation of the party, and is a man of much inlluence 



Pf^ 



: I 



-r^ 




' TTTT-»|[MJ>yl^ l , 



iHJBtyrTT yrr^T 1 1___ 






(aijuxioTij 



orn 



jgjuijujrxji -"Vtt^v 



zmxrnxxxT 



rzm ixm n 



I TgrTiT rxxT rnxn ixim n :: 



r rTmrTt^T-j-rT mrTm-r-TTi-! 



UtTTTtTITirm 



396 



111 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



in political circles in the county, and has for many 
years serveil his people in the official capacity of 
Justice of the Peace. He is a member of the Ma- 
sonic fraternity. His home farm consists of 320 
acres, forty of which are timber, and the remainder 
of 280 acres is in a most excellent state of cultiva- 
tion, with the Iiest class of buildings and improve- 
ments, and admirably adapted to his business, which 
is that of stock-farming. 

Clmrles Phelps is a leader among men, and this 
because he has within himself the qualities that 
stamp him as a superior man in many respects. 
High-minded, honorable and upright, of the strict- 
est integrity, he merits and receives the fullest con- 
fidence and highest esteem of an extended circle 
of friends and acquaintances. 



"^E8SE B. RYAJS', formerly a resident of Ma- 
haska Count}', but now of Cass County, 
Neb., dates his advent into this county in 
_ the year 1S.50. He was born in Barbour 
County, W. Va., May 2, 1817. There he grew to 
manhood, following the occupation of farming, and 
was united in marriage with Miss Mahala Sterns, a 
native of West \'irginia, who was born March 2, 
1814. In 18-iG they removed t(} Union County, 
Ohio, in 1848 to Indiana, and thence in 1850 
came to Iowa and settled in Richland Township, 
where Mr. Ryan entered 240 acres of land and be- 
gan to make for him.self a home, and lived upon 
the place for nearly a quarter of a ceiitur}-. 

Mrs. Mahala Ryan departed this life May 2ti, 
1873, leaving six children: Ingaba .J., now the 
wife of William Godby, of Buffalo County, Neb.; 
James R., a resident of Boone County, Neb. ; Eliza- 
^ beth A., wife of William Nichols, of Ottumwa, 
Iowa; Jacob, who resides in Cass County, Neb.; 
Thomas H. B., of Prairie Township; and Nancy E., 
Mrs. Paris VanCleve, who lives in Hamilton County, 
Neb. 

After the death of his wife Mr. R\-an continued 
farming until 1879. He then espoused, as his sec- 
ond wife, Susan Foreman, and that year sold out 
all his possessions in this county and removed to 



Cass County, Neb., where he owns a farm of eighty 
acres of land. Politically he is a Democrat, and 
frequently- held local offices in the township. His 
religious connections were with the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church. 




ILLIAM A. HOOVER, a successful farmer, ! 

will be found engaged in his chosen occu- ; 

pation on section 4, Spring Creek Town- j 
ship. He is a native of Iowa, born March 7, 
1855, and is the elder of the two children of James 
M. and Eunice (Cox) Hoover, natives of Indiana, 
the former of whom died in Sumner County, Kan., 
in the year 1S85; the latter is still living and occu- 
pies a dwelling on the farm of the subject of this 
sketch. His sister, Delpha, is the wife of Henry 
Glasscock, a resident of this township. 

Mr. Hoover was married, Dec. 9, 1880, to Miss 
Susan C. BaUenger, a daughter of Jeremiah and 
Margaret (Starlin) Balleuger; the former a native 
of Illinois, and a farmer b}' occupation; his death 
took place June 5, 188G. His wife, a native of 
Ohio, still survives, and resides in this township. 
Besides the home farm of 175 acres of land all un- 
der fence, with comfortable buildings and other ex- 
cellent improvements. Mr. Hoover also owns a farm 
of ninety acres in Adams Township, all in good 
cultivation and with the best class of improvements. 
In addition to general farming, which Mr. H. 
carries on extensively and successfully, he is also 
engaged quite largely in the breeding of Chester- 
White swine, of which he has not onlj' the finest 
drove in the county, but in this section of the State. 
His animals are all selected from the best known 
herds in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, and other 
States, and to secure the best of all these he spares 
neither money nor time. He is very particular in 
the breeding and care of these animals, that noth- 
ing may impair their puritj' of breed and symmetr}- 
of form. The reputation of these animals is as 
fully established as that of the older breeding 
farms of Eastern States, and Mr. Hoover receives 
and fills numerous mail orders for them from all 
parts of the West. He is perhaps the most exten- 
sive breeder of pure Chester-White hogs in South- 



; i: IMiii"iiTTTn- »-iiimtr|l TtriflTirUi; 




sa 



^ssss, 




MAHASKA COUNTY. 



3!)7 



em, if nut in tlie entire State of Iowa, and fuiistant 
additiuns are made tn his lit'rd hy pnicliaso and 
otherwise. 

Mr. Hoover has been quite successful in liis lui- 
dert:d<ings, and coinl lines the best of management 
with proper economy. As a citizen he is rated 
among the best, and is Ivuown and respected as a 
hospitable, generous man. 



<S\ feilLLIAM J. McFALL, who resides upon 
\/\J// ^^'^^^^^^ ^ ''f '^^* Moines Township, is a na- 
^^^ tive (if Ohio, born in 1825, and a son of 
William and Uachel (Brouse) MeFall, both of 
whom were natives of Pennsylvania. His early- 
life was spent upon a farm in his native State, his 
educational advantages being limited to the com- 
mon schools of that early day. In 184.5 he was 
united in marriage witli Klizabeth Lyons, a daugh- 
ter of John and Margaret (Reed) L3'ons, natives 
of Oliio, but of Irish descent, and early settlers of 
Ohio. They are the (larcnts of eight children: 
Charles W., now living in Des Moines Township; 
John and AVilliam, also residing in the same town- 
ship; Henton, at home; Marj^ now the wife of 
Henry Stone, of Titus County, Tex., her husband 
being engaged in the lumber business; Fremont, 
who also resides in Titus County, Tex., engaged in 
the lumber business; James and B. F. are at home. 
On the 3d da}' of March, 1847, during the Mex- 
ican War, he enlisted in the Gth United States In- 
fantry, commanded bj' Col. Clark, and served sev- 
enteen months. He was in the battle of Chera- 
busco and Chapultepec, and in the engagement re- 
sulting in the capture of the city of Mexico. His 
regiment marched from the Mexican capital to 
\'era Cruz, 2.50 miles, where they took a steamer 
to New Orleans, from which place he came up the 
Mississippi River to Jefferson Barracks, wliere he 
was discliarged in August, 1848. 

On retui-ning to Ohio he engaged in farming 
until the spring of 185G, when he came to this 
county, and located on section 1 1 in Des Moines 
Township, where he purchased forty acres of raw- 
land, and there resided until the spiiu": of l.si;.',. 



1 1 1 n vxxi t juxxj Rxzzzri 



wlien he bought eighty-six acres of partially im- 
provetl land on section 3 of the same township, 
where he still lives. On the 14th day of October, 
1 sd 1 , he enlisted in Co. F, 4th Iowa Vol. Cav., and 
served a little over three years, being discharged 
on the Gth day of December, 1864. He partici- 
pated in a number of the battles of the war, and 
was with Gen. Curtis In his march down White 
River. Among the engagements were Jackson, 
Vicksburg, second battle of Jackson, and Canton. 
The greater part of the time the regiment was en- 
gaged in scouting and in destroying the property 
of the rebels, tearing up railroad tracks, and in gen- 
eral foraging. During the siege of Vicksburg he 
was with a party of 1 30 who were sent out to block 
a piece of road, when they were surrounded and 
cut ofif from the command, having to cut their w-ay 
out. Ten pf the number were killed and about 
thirty captured. Mr. McFall lost his horse, and 
by- hiding in the brush escaped the observation of 
the rebels as they swept by him. He then returned 
on foot to camp, reaching the same about sundown. 
That portion of the command with which he was 
connected had a skirmish or fight almost daily. 
It was engaged in scouting in the rear of the army 
during the siege of Vicksburg, and every time they 
were sent out engaged in a fight. Mr. McFall was 
promoted Sergeant at Helena, Ark., and served as 
such during the remainder of his enlistment. He 
arrived at home on the 9th da}- of December, 1864, 
and resumed farming. 

In early life Mr. McFall was a Whig in jjolitics, 
but on the organization of the Republican party 
he became identified with and a strong advocate of 
its principles. For some years past he has been 
identified with the Greenback party-. Whether as 
a Whig, a Republican or a (ireenbacker, he has al- 
ways been outspoken for that which he believes to 
be right. In local affairs he has been honored by 
his fellow--townsmen, having served seven years as 
Township Assessor, fifteen years as a member of 
the School Board, three years as Township Clerk, 
and three terms :is Township Trustee. 

Mr. McFall comes from a patriotic family, his 
father having served in the War of 1812, while his 
maternal grandfather was a soldier in the w-ar of 
the Revolution. His father was of Scotch-Irish de- 



r- 



ari 



.1 



1 I 



ill 








■1 ni l tf Txy^ 




m 



scent and died in 1829, aged about fifty j-ears. 
His mother died in 1871, aged eightj'-two; she was 
of German descent. His father was a very promi- 
nent Mason, and politicallj' was a Jaeksonian Dem- 
ocrat, being quite an active politician and a very 
fluent speaker. 15y trade he was a tin and copper 
smith, and carried on quite an extensive business, 
iiaving several men in his employ. There were in 
the famil>' five girls and two boys, one of the 
daughters and the two sons now living: Rachel, 
the wife of Sullivan Eckard, resides near Warsaw, 
Ind. ; George W. lives in Hancock County, Ohio, 
and William J. is the subject of this sketch. 

The first two years Mr. McFall spent in this 
count}' he engaged in teaming, hauling goods from 
Keokuk to Oskaloosa. The first stock of goods, 
owned by H. Howard, he hauled from Keokuk. 
In the spring of 1861 he went to Denver, Col., with 
an ox-team, taking a load of freight from Oska- 
loosa, being three months and a half in making the 
trip. Taking into consideration his active life, and 
serving in two wars, Mr. McFall is a well-preserved 
man, and is entitled to the respect and esteem of 
his friends and neighbors. 

-^.>> ■.o*o.■f§^><^..o♦o .<,r-- 





ANiMAH WELLS, nee Hammond, a highly 

respected resident of Monroe Townshijj, 

was born in Champaign County, Ohio, Nov. 

1, Ih;30. Feb. 26, 1848, she was united in 

marriage with Albert Wells, a native of (Genesee 

County, N. Y., who was born Jan. 8, 1820. They 

came to this county in 1867, purchasing the present 

homestead of 160 acres, and farmed it until his 

death, which took place Dec. 25, 1882. 

Mr. and Mrs. Wells became the parents of eleven 
children; Ilenriette is the wife of James Sprad- 
ling, of Washington County, Kan.; Celia is the 
}f wife of Enos Stevens, and also lives in Washington 
} County; Ralph P. is a resident of the above-named 
W.clirg, " county and State ; Reuben C. is in ]\Ionroe Town- 
ship, this county; Austin is at home; Eliza is de- 
ceased; Ida JI. is the wife of Frank Summers, and 
lives in Kansas; (ieorge O. is deceased; Frank is in 
Kansas; Bruce and Charles reside at home. 

Mr. and ;\Irs. Wells were members of the order 



of Grangers. He was raised a Baptist, and she a 
Methoilist. The home farm of 160 acres is a fine 
piece of land, in an excellent state of cultivation 
and well improved. Mrs. Wells is succeeding ad- 
mirably in the mau.agenient of the business of the 
farm. She is a lady of fine intelligence, of a benev- 
olent disposition, and highlj' esteemed for her 
manj' excellent qualities by a large circle of friends 
and acquaintances. 



— ^ # ' "# • ^- 

^AMES A. RlCf], of Oskaloosa, is the oldest 
son of Gen. S. A. Rice, who died during the 
late war from wounds received in the battle 
of Jenkin's Feny, Ark. He was born in 
Oskaloosa, Iowa, Sept. 30, 18.55. After attending 
the public schools, young Rice entered Oskaloosa 
College, where he studied two years, and then took 
a classical course in Washington and Jefferson Col- 
leges. In the fall of 1876 he entered the law de- 
partment of the Iowa State University, from whicli 
he graduated with honors in the class of 1877. 

Mr. Rice began the practice of law in Oskaloosa, 
and in the spring of 1878 was elected Mayor of 
the city, being re-elected in 1879. After serving- 
two or three terms he resumed the practice of law, 
and in 1881 was elected Citj' Solicitor, which po- 
sition he held four years. In 1882 he was a candi- 
date for the (jeneral Assembly of Iowa, and ran 
3,000 votes ahead of his ticket. During his second 
term of Mayor the H0II3' water system was put in, 
and in this great public enterprise he took a great 
interest. While serving his last year as solicitor 
Mr. Rice revised the citj' ordinances, which had 
not been done for ten years, his work being a model 
of neatness and accuracy. He also conducted a 
number of important cases for the city through the 
Circuit, District and Supreme Courts of Iowa. 

Mr. Rice was one of the number elected to de- 
liver a eulog3' at the grand memorial services in 
this cit}'. He is an active member and Trustee of 
the First Presbyterian Church, and belongs to the 
Masonic fraternity, being an ofHcer in Commanderj' 
No. 6, Knights Templars, located at Oskaloosa. 
He is Vice President of the Library Association, 



i\ 

En 

s. 1 
:. 1 

u 
= 3 



V I 

I I 

1.1 

Irl 

; I 
;:i 

: h 

::-ri 
: 1 

si; I 

];i 

\ 1 
•..\ 

: 1 



m 



ill 

k 

A 

|l 

rl 

?l 

;i 

II 
a 
(;i 
;i 

:!;l 

r.l 

r:i 

w 

■I 
;i 

:f I 
1 
1 
I 




i;»H2SHHH?3 



i?p'P'?ga 






i 



II 




Superintemlent uf the Fine Arts in Mahaska County 
Agricultural Society, and Captain of Samuel A. 
Kicc Company No. 48, Sons of \'eterans, U. S. A., 
at Oskaloosa. Mr. Rice Is a studious, energetic and 
reliable 3"oung man, always ready to assist in pro- 
moting any worthy enterprise. 



«i DG AR C. HULL, a resident of Prairie Town- 
Il5j ship, was born in Taylor County, W. Va.. 
IL^ Nov. 11), 1837, and is a son of Jacob and 
Sarah (Tliuinns) Hull, whose biography will be 
found elsewiiere in this volume. He was reared 
on the farm, and accustomed to its laborious work 
from early life to manhood, but received an ex- 
cellent common-school education. 

June 24, 18.58, ^Ir. Hull was married to Apalonia 
Martin, a native of Barbour County, W. Va., who 
was born Sept. 12, 1837, and is a daughter of 
Henry D. and Margaret (Means) Martin. The 
union of Mr. and Mrs. Hull has been blest with 
five children, one of whom died in infancy; those 
living are : Margaret E., now the wife of D. M. Syl- 
vester, and residing in Jasper Countj', Iowa: Sarah 
C, Mrs. Willard Wharton, resides in Richland 
Township ; Henry C. and Alva R. are at home. 

In the fall of 186(1 ;Mr. Hull removed from his 
old home to Schuj'ler Count}', Mo., remaining 
there only nine months, and coming to Iowa in 
August, 18(>1. The winter following his arrival 
was spent in the soutiieasteru part of Jasper County, 
but in Januarj', 1 862, he purchased the north half 
of section 6, Prairie Township, and settled on the 
same the following spring, where he 3'et resides. 
In addition to the home farm Mr. Hull is the owner 
of twenty' acres of timber, a farm of 200 acres in 
Jasper Countj', one of 160 acres on sectioti 16, this 
township, and a one-half interest in 140 acres in 
Poweshiek Count}-, all of which is in a high state 
of cultivation, and well improved. His residence 
on section 6 is provided with all the modern con- 
^ I'uiences necessary in a pleasant home, and is per- 
liaps one of the best farm residences in this county. 
On the northwest quarter of this section is a nat- 
ural mound, which occupies the entire quarter sec- 



tion, rising in the center to a height of twelve feet, 
and is the highest point of land in this countj'. 

Politically Mr. Hull is, and has been since its 
organization, an, enthusiastic and active member of 
the Republican party, and for many years has been 
one of the Township Trustees of Prairie Township. 
He was nominated bj' the Republican party of Ma- 
haska County, in August, 1886, for member of the 
Board of Supervisors of the county, and at the elec- 
tion in November, was elected to that position by 
a very handsome majority. He is a member of 
the Methodist Episcopal Church, also of the Masonic 
fraternity. 

Mr. Hull is extensively engaged in stock-raising 
in addition to general farming, and in both branches 
of business has been remarkablj' successful. He 
brings U> the care of his business a mind well stored 
with useful knowledge and general information. 
He is a man of most excellent judgment, a most 
prudent manager, most honorable in all the trans- 
actions of life, and of the strictest integrity. His 
elegant home is one of unbounded hospitalitj', and 
friends and acquaintances are gladly welcomed and 
pleasantly entertained with abundance of good 
cheer. 



yT. SMITH, a farmer and stock-raiser on 
section 31 of that portion of Scott Town- 
ship now attached to Jefferson, owns 290 
acres of valuable land, with good buddings and 
other fine improvements. He was born in Trum- 
bull County, Ohio, in 1845, and is a son of Robert 
and Jane Smith, his father being a native of Penn- 
sylvania and his mother of Ohio. Shortly after 
the birth 'of W. T., the family moved to Iowa and 
first located in Jones Count}', where they lived 
until the spring of 1846, when they moved to Ma- 
haska County, and located on section 32, Scott 
Township, where the father of the subject of our 
sketch entered a claim of 160 acres of land, which 
he improved and cultivated until his death, which 
occurred March 8, 1868, at the age of sixty years. 
When a young man, Robert Smith followed team- 
ing and freighting over the mountains in Pennsyl- 
vania, lie was a member of the Masonic frater- 
nity, and of the Presbyterian Church. The mother 




- lIlIltAXJlXXiaXULXUXZfSI 
■ IIICXXXISKTZZCZXIXI 



TiiiExti 




■^5"F?2^^ 



Mm 



znm zxt-cxxc 



311 ,> 1 tiTxa ^P! 



400 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



'I 



m 
m 



still lives, making her home ivith her son, W. T. 
She was burn in LSI 4. and became the mother of 
seven children, two onl^- of whom are now living: 
Mai'garet .).. the wife of Philip Kittermau, of Mon- 
roe County, Iowa. ;ind ^\ . T., the subject of this 
sketch. 

On tlie :i4th day of JNIarch, 18(J4, our subject en- 
listed in the 33d Iowa Infantry, and .served as a 
Union soldier eighteen mouths, participating in the 
battles at .lenkin's Ferry and Spanish Fort. He 
returned home Aug. 15, 18G5, and began farming 
on the old homestead, which business he has since 
continued to follow. 

He was married. April 1, 1868, to Miss Nancy 
L. Locke, a native of Smith County, Va., a daugh- 
ter of James A. and Melinda Locke, both natives 
of the same State. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are the 
parents of six children : Freddie, born Jan. 30, 1 8(19, 
died in infancy; James Scott, born March 14, 
1870; Nora, born Sept. 5, 1873, died Oct. 28, 188-2, 
at the age of nine j'ears; John Francis, born Jan. 
If), 1870. died Oct. 30, 1882, aged three years and 
nine months; Cora, born April 20, 1883; Lena, 
born July 1, 1885, died in infancj'. 

Mr. Smith is a member of the A. F. & A. M. 
and of the R. A. M. lu politics he is liberal, his 
views tending toward those of the Greenback party. 



^- 




18(17 



■4i^ 



LONZO VANALST, who owns and occu- 
pies a comfortable homestead in Black Oak 
Township, was born in Genesee County, 
N. Y., Nov. 9, 1837. He came to Iowa in 
and located in Poweshiek County, whence 
after a residence of three years he came to this 
count}-. 

On Jan. 18, 1867, Mr. N'.inalst was married to 
Miss Ellen Curd, a native of Klkhart Count}', Ind., 
bom Oct. 12, 1847. They liecame the parents of 
one child, Edward, now at home. The mother of 
this child died Aug. 28, 1872. On Feb. 14, 1883, 
our subject was again married, to Miss Alice Hoff. 
By this latter marriage there have been two chil- 
dren, James and Charles, both residing at home. 

The subject of this sketch was a soldier during 
the late war, enlisting in Co. K, 9th ind. \o\. Inf., 




and served for four years. He participated with ; 
his command in the many engagements in which it ; 
took part, and acquitted himself creditably .as a ■ 
soldier. • I 

The home farm of Mr. ^'analst consists of eighty- ; 
four acres of excellent land, in a good state of culti- ; 
vation and well improved. He has been fairly sue- ! 
cessful as a farmer, is an excellent citizen in every ' 
respect, and highl}- regarded by friends, neighbors i 
and acquaintances. Politically he is a member (jf i 
the Democratic party. i 



ILTON YOUNG, who owns a fine farm in 
Adams Township, is a native of AVhite 
County, Ind., and was born Jan. 22, 1836. 
He is a son of John and Nancy Young. 
Both parents were natives of Ohio. The father 
died in 1841, and the mother in 1840. gsti 

The subject of this sketch served as a soldier 3'n 
during the late war, enlisting in Co. A, 128th Ind. 
^'«Jl. Inf., in the fall of 1863. He served faithfully 
as a soldier for eighteen montks, and was honor- 
ably discharged iu June, 1865, at Philadelphia, Pa., 
being in the hospital at that time. He at once re- 
turned to Indiana and remained until October, 
1865, then came to Iowa. He made the entire trip 
by team, was thirteen days on the road, and ar- 
rived in Oskaloosa Oct. 17, 1865. After residing 
in the city one year, he purchased eighty acres oi 
land in Madison Township, which he cultivated 
and improved and afterward sold, and purchased a 
quarter section of land in Prairie Township. This 
farm he also sold and removed to Adams Town- 
ship, and purchased his present farm of 370 acres. 

On March 28, 1870, Mr. Young was united in 
marriage with Miss Louisa M. Jackson, a native tif 
Ohio, and born Nov. 20, 1848. Mrs. Young is a 
daughter of J. R. Jackson, a native of Ross County, 
Ohio. Our subject and his wife are the parents of 
five children: Maud O., born Dec. 6, 1871 ; Charles 
H., May 30, 1873; Mattie P., Sept. 18, 1875; John 
M., Nov. 17, 1877; William C, June 1, 1881. 

Mr. Young is an enthusiastic Republican and a 
leader C)f the i>arty in his township, and has held 
many township offices. His home farm is a line 



^ J^^rlrJ K f 




l^rJ|-'r-7''J 







: - xirrrriirUtrrTiii^i i 



^ jdgj:lcicir'rJr'r'?i-'fj } 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 




body of land wluVh he hns hrouglit to a high f^tate 
i of cultivation, and npon wliich the linpiovenients 
! are of tlio liest class. He lanks anioni; the prosper- 
on.s, Avell-to-do farnicis of the connty. and man- 
ages Ills liusincss with good judgnient. .Mr. Vonug 
is well posted iqion cnrront events, is honoralile 
j and high-minded, and greatly cstcenicd hy an ex- 
tended circle of ac<iuaintances. 



;:B 



,.. ,y EV. WILIJAM PEARSON, Si!.,-an old and 
lUir honored resident of Prairie Township, is 
spending his declining years in the peace 
and quiet earned by a goodly life and con- 
scientious labor in the cause of truth and justice. 
Me is a native of Wa^'ne County, X. C. and was 
born Oct. 22, 17!)7. In I. si 4 he removed with a 
married sister to Logan County, Ohio, and in 181 (i 
wiis united in marriage with Miss Catherine Pick- 
rell, the daughter of Henry and Acli.sa Pickrell. To 
them eleven children were born, two of whom died 
in infancy, the remainder attaining their majoritj", 
l)ut only four are living at the present time: L3'dia 
A., widow of John C. Williams; Marj-, Mrs. .Scott; 
William, .Ir., and Catherine, wife of W. C. Bryan. 
Mrs. Pearson died Oct. 8, 18()4. 

Mr. Pearson resided in Logan County, Ohio, un- 
til 18.50. and followed farming, being principally 
engaged in raising corn and hogs, and became one 
of the leading pork growers of Logan County. He 
came to Mahaska County in 18;)(), and located on 
the south side of South Skunk River, on a farm 
purchased of George Bare, and after a residence 
there of six ^ears purchased the farm where he now 
lives, on section 23, Prairie Townshii). He at one 
time owned 300 .acres of land. Imt as he advanced 
in 3'ears sold portions of it, until he has now only 
a life lease of ten acres. He was reared in the be- 
lief of the Society of Friends, and has been a min- 
ister of that church from the age of twenty-live 
years. \\'hik' n resident of Ohio he was three times 
sent to .North Carolina to confer with societies 
there, and once since he became a I'esident of this 
State. The Society of Friends do not send preach- 
II- to .iiiy place, iiul when one is prepand for the 



ministry he is liberated by the Society, and may 
go and preach an^-where. 

Mr. Pearson has traveled and preached in Indiana, 
Tennessee, Kentuck3' and other States. His early 
political leanings were toward the Whig ))artj", but 
he became in earl}- life a Free-soilcr and an Alioli- 
tionist, and since the organization of the Repub- 
lican i)art3' has atliliated with it. He was an at- 
tendant at the first free-soil meeting held at Oska- 
loosa. 

Father Pearson is now in his ninetieth year. an<l 
enjoys excellent health for one so aged, and at 
small religious gatherings still preaches to his 
people. It is to men who, like Father Pearson, 
had the courage to express their convictions, that 
the country is to-daj- indebted for the abolition of 
slavery, and the prosperit}' that has attended us 
since the removal of that foul stiiii upon our na- 
tional honor. His whole life has been spent in the 
cause of humanity, and he has sought to make men 
better, and consequently happier, bj' pointing out 
to them the way of salvation, and exhorting them 
to walk therein, and none enjoy in a greater degree 
the admiration and esteem of friends than does this 
noble old man. 




LANSON BRYAN, one of the pioneers of 
'49 in this count}', was born in Greene 
County, Ohio, Feb. 8, 1 808. He is a son 
of Morrison and Rhoda (.Johnson) Bryan, 
who were natives of A'irginia, and whose parents 
came from Ireland. He wa.s bred to farm life, 
and received but a limited education, the feeble 
health of his father devolving the household cares 
u\Hn\ .Vlanson. wiio during idl his young da^'s, and 
until he reached the age of manhood, w:us the main- 
stay of the family, and the prop of his father's 
declining 3'ears. The subject of this notice, .after 
reaching manhood, luiited in marriage with Miss 
Easter Mendenhall, a native of Ohio. To them 
were born eleven children, two of whom died in 
infancy ; one. ^lorrisonC!., died at the age of iwcnty- 
one year>. .lohn M. lives at .Montezuma; Rachel, 
the wife of Joseph Bone, resides in Washington 
I'erritorv; l)enni^. W'illiaiu A.. Bed v. Neri E. and 






,T.Jt(AA^ iiTiiiiiiTiif iiixii 





?*r,i 



i^xxn xxTxxi xxi xxxxJLij gCTri' i 



IITZXIIXrZXTC 



I mTixnrrxnimnrrxizJiiinj-i 



I riTxannii-uixuxiinxircxxixj"^ ^^ 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



li 




Andrew A. live at Montezuma; Talitha. now Mrs. 
Horner, resides in Powesliiek County. 

In 1849 Mr. Bryan loaded his family and house- 
hold goods into three covered wagons and started 
for the boundless West, arriving at Oakaloosa, 
this State, October 12, after a journey of thirty- 
two days. They settled on section 31, of Adams 
Township, where our sul)ject had, the previous 
spring, purchased 200 acres of land. Here he lived 
for twenty years, following the occupation of farm- 
ing, and changed the raw prairie of 1849 to one of 
the best improved and most highly- cultivated farms 
in the county. In 1869 he sold the farm for $.50 
per acre, removed to Hamilton County, Iowa, in- 
vested a portion of his capital in a flouring-mill, 
and resided there for about si.x years, when, on 
account of the death of his wife, he gave up house- 
keeping and has since made his home with his son, 
Andrew A., at Montezuma. 

ALanson Bryan is a man of great energy and 
force of character, was a cautious, prudent man- 
ager, .alw.ays exercising proper economy in his 
business, and made his life a great success. At the 
age of seventy-eight years he made a trip to 
Western K.ansas, by team, merely for the purpose 
of enjoyment. 

C. FAUQUIER, the possessor of a quarter- 
section of fine land in Adams Township, is 
the son of Thomas and Phcebe (Hathaway) 
Fauquier, and was born in Miami County, 
July 20, 1827. He resided in that State 
1 848, when he went to Indiana, remaining 
there until 1851, and then came to Iowa, with his 
family, located in INIahaska Countj', and purchased 
320 acres of school land. He was married, Oct. 20, 
1849, to Miss Hattie Woods, a native of Indiana, 
born Aug. 24, 1832. To them seven children iiave 
been born, as follows: Kphraim lives in Union 
Township; Emma C. is the wife of Luther God- 
dard, of Adams Township; Delia B. married James 
Stafford of Spring Creek Township ; Lida A. is at 
home; William and Eddie are deceased; Almeda 
became the wife of James Fisher and is now de- 
ceased. 

The farm of our subject embraces a choice tract 




Ohio, 
until 



of land in an excellent state of cultivation and 
well improved. He has been fairly successful in 
his business, and has shown m<jst excellent judg- 
ment and the best of man.agement in his agricult- 
ural and business affairs. Mr. Fauquier is a 
Republican in his political .nfflliations. In the 
various relations of life, as husband, father, citizen, 
neighbor and friend, he maintains a good report 
and is highly esteemed liy all who have the pleasure 
of his acquaintance. 

^ ^^ <^ 







Se 



^Y]AC0B HULL, deceased, was a native of ; 

West Virginia, his birth taking place Nov. 3 

1, 1812. Hebrew to manhood in his native ;' 

State, and learned the trade of tanner. In 3| 

Alexandria, Va., July 20, LS32, he was united in | 

marriage with Sarah Thomas, a native of West si 

Virginia, who was born Dec. 6, 1812. He resided si 

in his native State until the spring of 18G;3, when ;' 

he came to Iowa and settled in Richland Township, s 

purchasing 160 acres of land, and resided thereon s 

during the remainder of ids life. His death oc- s 

curred .Sept. 1, 1876; his wife had died twelve : 

years previously, July 6, 1864. s 

Mr. Hull was twice married, and l)y the first s 

union there were eleven children, four of whom ; 

are now living: Albert G. resides in Richland 5 

S 
Township, and is engaged in farming and stock- J 

raising; Edgar C. lives in Prairie Town.ship. and is a ; 

farmer; Lemuel L. is a resident of Oskalcjosa, and is ; 

engaged in the wholesale harness and saddlery busi- : 

ness: Octavins H. resides at Stockton, Cal., and is 5 

a wholesale dealer in furniture for churches and £ 

public buildings. Mr. Hull's second wife was Mrs. 3 

Mar3' A. Mather, nee Laraway. Bj- this marriage J 

five children were born, four of whom are yet liv- ; 

ing. llis four sons by the first wife represent the a 

four political parties of the day; Albert G. is a 3 

member of the National (Greenback party; Edgar 3 

C. is a Republican; Lemuel L., a Democrat, and 3 

Octavins H., a Prohibitionist. g 

Jacob Hull in his early life whs an old-line a 

Whig. In 1860 he voted for and supported John q 

C. Breckinridge, but ever afterward voted the Re- 5 

publican ticket, though he never took any very : 




cseeaa 



ts^eHsa' 




MAHASKA COUNTY 



I E 

I 



; active interest in politios. AVhile a resident uf 
; West Virginia lie served as .Justice of tlie Peace for 
many 3'ears. Religiously lie was connected with 
the Methodist Episcopal Church. He was a man of 
medium stature, very robust, an indefatigable 
worker and an excellent manager, and accumulated 
considerable wealth. He was a man of extensive 
general knowledge, a great reader and a fine con- 
versationalist, was very genial and social, and had 
uiany warm, admiring friends. Ills remains lie in 
Baldwin Cemetery, in Hichland Township. 

ylLLIA.AI A. 15KYAN, of I'rairie Township, 
was born in Oreene County, Ohio, Oct. 
^ ^ IS, iS3.'), a son of Alanson and E.aster 
(Mendenhall) Bryan, whose biograpiiy see else- 
where in this book. He came with his parents to 
Iowa ill 1841), with whom he remained, working on 
the farm with his father, and receiving a common- 
school education. On Dec. 25, liS.iU. he was 
married t(.> Mi.ss Catherine M. Pearson, a native of 
Logan County, Ohio, born Uec. 7, 1838, and a 
daughter of Rev. William and Catherine (Pickrell) 
Pearson, the former a native of North Carolina, and 
the latter of Mrginia. Mr. and Mrs. Bryan be- 
came the parents of nine children, two of whom 
died in infancy, Eliiia A. at the age of fourteen 
years, and Charles F. was killed b}- lightning at the 
age of twenty-one years. Five children are yet 
living, viz: Lillian. Fred H.. Ernest E.. Willie A. 
and Walter E. 

Shortly .after his marriage Mr. Bryan purchased 
a farm in Poweshiek Count3% and cultivated it iin- 
till lfs71, when he sold out and purcli.ased HiO 
acres of raw prairie on section ;i(;, of Prairie i'owu- 
ship. to which he has added until his present farm 
embraces 2.511 acres of very fine land, all in a high 
state of cultivation and with the best class of ini- 
provenifiits. 

Politically .Mr. Bryan is a Republican. He cast 
his first presidential vote for Fremont, in lH.i(i, 
and has held several local olKces. He has never 
connected himself with any religious or secret 
soeiet}', is a man of liberal c<lucation. and able to 
express liini.>elf intelligently upon general >ubjcct.-. 



He gives much attention to stock-raising, in which 
he h.is been very successful, and is one of the lead- 
ing farmers of Mahaska County, as well as one of 
its best citizens. He man.ages his business prudently 
and cautiousl}', is a kind and indulgent husband 
and father, and greath' esteemed by a large circle 
of friends and acquaintances. 





K\\ DENNIS MURPHY, Ph. D., Presiding 
Elder of the Oskaloosa District of the 

i \V Methodist Episcopal Church, was born in the 
^^ county of Limerick, Ireland, on the 24th 
da3' of .June, 1833, being the son of Robert and 
Catherine (Barry) Murphy. The Barry family 
were descendants of one of the families who came 
over with William the Conqueror. Robert Murph3' 
and wife emigrated to the United States about the 
3'ear 1841, and settled in Wayne, Mich. The}- 
were devout members of the Roman Catholic 
Church. Their famil}' included seven children, five 
of whom are living: .John B. is a resident of 
Wayne, Mich. ; Maj. E. B. Murphy assisted in 
raising the 7th Iowa Cavalry, and was elected and 
commissioned First Lieutenant of one of its com- 
panies. This regiment did excellent work in the 
border service .at the time of the Sioux Indian 
trouble. The Lieutenant was soon pronmted to a 
Captaincy and afterward to Major of the regiment, 
holding that rank when the regiment was mustered 
out at the expiration of its term of service. Maj. 
Murphy was the founder of Arapahoe, Neb., now 
a busy little city of 1,200 inhabitants; Hon. M. B. 
Murphy, of Plattsnioiith, Neb., represented his dis- 
trict in the Legislature of that State: P. B. Mur- 
phy, of Uni.aha, Neb. 

Rev. Dennis Muri>h_v left his home in Michigan 
ill 18.50 for the farther west, stopping .at Ottumwa, 
Iowa, where he engaged in business. He was soon 
afterward converted and joined the .Methodist Epis- 
copal Church. In LsTiS he joined the Iowa Confer- 
ence, and liegan to [treaiJi the (iospel. .Mr. Murphy 
was married, Aug. 11), lH(il, in Birmingham, Iowa, 
to Miss Lavanda Giu-sner, a daughter of the Rev. 
.Io>eph and Haniet (Housel) (i.assner. Her pareul> 



m 
m 



m 




^reJ^f ^MTii ese.tia ^ 



^dfcST^^*TTrJEm 




404 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



xxiTriiiixrinxi" .|jti^: 



m 



^' 






were natives of Virginia and Pennsj'lvania. She 
nas born in New Haven, Hamilton Co., Ohio, Feb. 
t, 1843. :Mr. and Mrs. Mnrphj' became the par- 
ents of <me child, Paul IX. who died at the age of 
ten months. 

In 1862 Mr. Murphy entered the armj' as Chap- 
lain of the H»th Iowa Infantr.y, remaining in the 
service for over two years, when he resigned and 
returned to Iowa, taking his place again in his con- 
ference. He was stationed as Pastor at various 
places. In 18(30 Mr. and Mrs. Murphy, believing 
their influence for good would be enhanced by a 
more liberal education, entered the State University 
of Iowa, and pursued a thorough classical course, 
graduating with lionors in the class of 1874. Mrs. 
Murphy was chosen to deliver the valedictory ad- 
dress, and selected for her theme " The Historical 
Position of '\\'omeu." It was replete with interest- 
ing facts and clothed in the most elegant language. 
Mr. Murph}- .also delivered a fine oration upon 
"The Educational Trinity," which received the 
highest praise. jMr. jNIurphy had the honor of be- 
ing selected to give the blaster's oration when the 
degree of A. M. was conferred upon the class in 
ciirsv. 

Our subject has led an active and busy life, hi 
addition to his regidar ministerial work, he has 
spent much time in the lecture field, delivering ad- 
dresses ujjon a wide range of themes. A close stu- 
dent of ancient and modern historj-, and posses- 
sing rare qualities as an orator, he never fails to in- 
terest and instruct his hearers. 

Mrs. INIurphy has devoted herself largel}- to re- 
ligious and moral work. She has been connected 
with the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society' since 
its organization in the State, and in 1 883 was elected 
President of the National Elxecutive Committee. 
She has frequently- filled the pulpit of her husband 

^ in his absence or illness. Her sermons are logical 
and delivered with force and persuasive eloquence. 
Among the lectures given bj- Mrs. ^lurph}- are, 
" Mexico, Its Condition and Religion," "Africa," 
"China," "Women in Historj-," " Our Historic:d 

<a Position," and others, all of which have received 

I the highest praise. 

I In 1879 ]Mr. Murphy received the degree of 
Doctor of Phil(iS()i)liy pro meritfi^ from the Iowa 



Wesleyan Universitj' at Mt. Pleasant. In 1883 he 
represented his conference in the General Confer- 
ence at Philadelphia. Pa. The same autumn he 
was appointed by Bishop Simpson Presiding IClder 
of the Oskaloosa District, which position he now 
holds. Dr. Murphy is a man of fine ph3sique, in 
the prime of life, and more capable now th-an ever, 
of doing work which wdl be productive of great 
good in his clKjsen field. Sili 



j\ HARLES G. BERRY, a representative far- 
mer of Mahaska County, was born in Rich- 

'J land Township, May IG, 1862, and is a son 
of William and Nancy (.lohnson) Berry. (.See 
their biography elsewhere.) The subject of this 
sketch was reared on a farm bj- his excellent par- 
ents, and received a good English education in the 
common schools. On Christmas Da}', 1883, he was 
united in marriage with Miss Mantie jM. Shinier, 
born in Black Hawk County, Iowa. Jan. 11), 1862, 
and is a daughter of Isaac and Mary Shimei'. The 
issue of this marriage is one son, Clarence E. 

Mr. Berry dwus a handsome farm of 134 acres 
in this township, which is in a good state "f cultiva- 
tion, with shajielj' and substantial farm buildings. 
He is making a success of life, and enjoys the re- 
spect and confidence of all who know him, because 
of his many noble qualities of head and heart, as 
well as his correct and upright business methods. 



ylLLIAM BARTLOW, of Scott Township, 
was born in Tuscarawas Count}', Ohio. 
Nov. 12, 1817, and is the son of Absalom 
and Susannah (Si)rjng'cr) Bartlow, the former a 
native of Pennsylvania, and born in 1794. He was 
a soldier in the War of 1812. The mother was a 
native of Ohio, and was born in the .same year as 
her husband. They were among the pioneer set- 
tlers of < )hio. first locating in Tuscarawas County, 
residing there twelve ^ye.irs, when they removed to 
Belmont County, and after a stay of tour years 
moved to Guernsey County, where they lived un- 
til William was twenty-seven years okl. 

The subject of this sketch, when a bo\-. fcillowed 



SHHHS^^a 



I : 



oc' jj r r r I 



ilv. wliile tlicy were clearing and opening a farm in 
5 tiic lieav\- tinilier of tiiat State. The digging of 



l^; tlie digging of ginseng root, and by this means 
[:; largely assisted in the support of his father's fani- 

l: 

Ir 
Ir 

laa 

jijS ginseng was kept up every August and SeiJteinlier, 

j;| and in this way his father made the money tliat en- 

IjS allied him to enter and pay fur tiie first land owned 

by him in Ohio. Indians were i)lenly in those 

days, and it was no uneomniun thing to have the 

house filled at night with these eliiidren of the for- 



^' 


ri^^al 


^ ^^;Lr-r-r-,Jr--rJr-r-' 


3HBl 


J ^^^^-J^r-r--r-r-r- 


qI^^Hm 




qVniJyryW 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



est. 

\Vini:nii Hartlow was married, in l.slO, to Ur- 
sula Summers, a native of JMaryland, and a daugh- 



?B 



few months in Washington C'ount\', l)Ut loeating 
the same year at the old town of Rochester, on tlie 



I 
1 
) 

J 
I 

1 
I 
1 
I 

\: 

l- 

1 

h 

}ij5 ter of Denton and Mary (Thompson) Summers, 

]^ also natives of that State. Of this union tiiere 

jiS were five children: Susannah Jane, born Feb. 23, 

--;: ls.')2, wife of Alonzo Church, of this county: Erae- 

^f. line, born Oct. H, 1854, died Oct. 8, J85G; Israel, 

!i{l born Kel). 22. 18.57, died in infancj'; William Al- 

ii l)ert, born April 8, 1858, is living in this county; 

}|3 Franklin. l)orn March 23, 1861, is at home. 

}=" Jlr. Bartlow came to Iowa in ls.')(;, stopping a 

m 

fli 
\l 

vi|fc Des Moines River, in Scott Township, where he has 
ir| since resided, owning a farm of 17() acres, all of 
ill" which is well improved, save twenty acres. W'iien 
i^E Mr. Hartlow started in life he was entirely destitute 
lig of means, and the first monej' of auj' account that 
I 'I he ever earned, .about 5^37. was made by mauling 
rT: rails at ^1 per hundred in Ohio. Receiving his 
i:it P!*.v hp deposited it in the (Jallipolis I5auk, a sani- 
lii pie wild-cat bank of that d.a}'. The bank, as was 
lis usual with institutions uf that kind, collapsed, and he 
fi lost his little fortune. He tlien turned his attention 
I to raising tobacco, and traded his share of the first 
I crop for a horse, which died shortly after coming 
into his possession. Notwithstanding his discourage- 
ments and losses, he stuck to tobacco until he made 
*l,()n(), with which sum he Ixiught a farm of 100 
isfi acres, ke|)t it for six years, then sold it, coining to 

I lE this county, and bought lands of the Des Moines 

1 lip • '^ 

IS; River Im|>rovement Comp.-uiy. at ^3 per acre, 

i^S which are now worth ■i<3i) per acre. Mr. IJartlow 

v.. pursues general farming, and is particularl3' engaged 

ifJc in stock-raisinsr for the ireneral market. 

Mr. and Mr^. l5:irtiow are members of the Chris- 




tian Church, and steadfast believers in its doctrines. 
Politically he is a Republican, and has affiliated 
with that party since its formation in the State of 
Iowa, in the 3'ear ls5(i. As a result of his indus- 
try and perseverance Mr. Hartlow is in very com- 
fortable circumstances, and certainly deserves all 
the iirosperity that has attended liini. and is a rep- 
resentative man among the many good citizens who 
reside in the township. 







EV. O. M. SCOTT, of Oskaloosa, is the son of 4 

Charles .and Susan .Scott, and was born in f 

4i\\\ Guernsey County, Ohio, Aug. 27, 1820. ^ 

^'S^iHc was reared partly in said county, and 
partly- in Washington County, Pa., and in January, 
1844:, was licensed to preach the Gospel. In the 
fall of that year he was received into the Mus- 
kingum Annual Conference of tlie IMethodist Prot- 
estant Church. ;iiid entered the regular itinerant 
work, which he continued in said conference until 
the fall of 1865. He was married. May 4. 1817. to 
Miss Hadassah J., daughter of Rulicrt II. and 
Blanche Cotton, in Athens County, Ohio. To them 
were hiorn six children: Emma H.. who died in 
the fifteenth year of iierage; Orion C; Clelaiul M.; 
Mary Blanche and Florence D., born in Ohio, and 
John Albert in Iowa. Those living are all engaged 
in business for themselves. 

During the late war Mr. Scott enlisted in Co. C, 
l>6th Iowa \o]. Inf., as Coriiorai. was soon made 
First Sergeant, and at the end of ten months, while 
in the siege of \'icksburg, was appointed Chaplain 
of his regiment b}' Gov. Todd, of Ohio. He was 
with Gen. Banks' expedition up Red River, at tiie 
l)attle of Sabine Cross-Roads on the .stii of April. 
18(;4, was taken prisoner and held at Mansfield, La., 
for nearly three niontlis. during which time lie as- 
sisted ill caring for his wounded and dying com- 
rades. After his release he rejoined his regiment, 
and was present at the capture of F'ts. (Jaines and 
M(»rgan at the entrance of .Mobile, La. Finally, 
on account of ill-health, he tendered his resignation, 
and was honorably discharged a few nK>nths before 
the close of the war. 

In the fall of l.S(;5 Mr. Sell, with liis family. 



a!: I 

il 







»£ilF 



m 




mm 



23SS s? .»— A 



■am 






406 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 





came to Iowa and took charge of Tipton Circuit, 
having becorDU connecterl with the Conference of 
the Methodist Protestant Churcli in Cedar County, 
with which he still leniains. Tlie largest portion of 
his ministerial work in Iowa has been in Ccilar and 
Marshall Counties. Xearlj* three j'ears ago he loca- 
ted his family- in Oskaloosa, this count}', and this 
year (18«6-'S7) he has taken a vacation for the first 
time since the commencement of his ministerial 
labors. 

=^ YLVESTEH PHELPS, nc^w deceased, and 
one of the pioneers of l)S4,s, was a native 
of Connecticut, and was born May 4, 1780. 
In his youth he learned the traile of wool- 
carding, and while yet a young man migrated to 
Ohio, taking with him a carding-machine, hauling 
it all the way with a team. For many years he 
represented a manufactory of these machines, and 
was engaged in their sale throughout the .State of 
Ohio. 

Mr. Phelps was united in marriage with JNIaria 
Lathrop. June 24, 1818. at Milforil, Ohio. Mrs. 
P. was born m U'indham, Conn., Dec. ID, 1797, 
but went with her parents. IJenjamin F. and Eliza- 
beth Lathrt)p, U> Ohio, when nineteen years of age. 
The}' came to Iowa in the fall of |.S4;). and lived 
near Granville until their decease. Mr. and iMrs. 
Phelps became the i)arents of six children: .lulia 
was the wife of Rev. Sanford Haines, and died at 
the age of thirty-one years; Sc.iphronia is the widow 
of Thompson Baldwin, and lives in this township; 
Albert died in 18GG, at the age (.)f forty-three: 
Daniel died in 18.0.O, aged twenty-eight jears; 
Charles resides in Richland Township; lloran died 
in I.S51, aged seventeen 3-ears. 

Sylvester I'helps was the owner of .some land in 
Champaign County, Ohio, to the improvement of 
wliich he gave a portion of his time. In the year 
1845 a neighbor by the name of Lundy removed 
to Iowa, .and his letters gave such a g'l(.)wing de- 
scription of the country, that in 1847 two of the 
children of Mr. Phelps came to this State, followed 
in 1.S48 by their father with the remainder of the 
family. They came by the ordinary mode of con- 
ye^'auce, the covered wagon of that da}-, and ar- 



rived in this county after a pleasant journey of six- : 
teen days. So well pleased was Mr. Phelps that ho 3 



1 
I 
I 

I 
I 
I 
I 
I 
I 
I 

1 

1 
1 
t 




returned immediately to Ohio, disposed of his prop 
erty there, and returned to pass the remainder of S 
his days in the beautiful land. His first business 
venture in this section was the building of a .saw- 
mill on Elk Creek, but the foundation proving to S= 

ai 
be sand, the mill was a failure. He intended jt 

erecting a carding-machine, but eventually aban- Bf 
doned this idea, and soon after disposed of his mill Sti 
property in a trade for some land. While engaged 9? 
in some repairs upon his mill-dam, he contracted J!. 
the disease which eventually caused his death. May 3;; 
13, 18.51. His wife survived him many years, her 
death taking place in April, 1880. 

Politically Mr. Phelps was a Whig, and in an 
early day was elected and served as member of the 
Board of Commissioners for this c(junty. Socially 
he belonged to the Masonic fraternity. Life with 
him had been more than a fair success, and he was jf 
one of the pioneers who secured a competency 3; 
through his resolution, industry and wise manage- ?!; 

nient. i'\ 

9:: 



ERASTUS COFFIN, well aixl 
known as a worthy resilient 
,T Township, was born in Tippecs 



and favorably z'h 

of Madison ^r. 

Si 



Ind., Oct. 1, 1841. 



anoe County, si 
His father, Samuel Coffin, who 



was a native of North Carolina, born April 19, 



I 

1 
1 
I 
1 

I 
I 
I 
I 
1 
I 
I 
I 
I 
1 
1 
1 



3^ 



l.SOl). eame to Iowa in 1842, and to this county in 
i.s44, and died May 0, 1880. At the time of his 
death he owned .500 acres of land. His mother, 
Sophia (Fi.sler) Coffin, was a native of Indiana, 
born Jan. 24. 1814, and was united in marriage §-. 
with Samuel Coffin in the year IS30. She is now 
deceased. 

Erastus Collin, of this sketch, came to Iowa with 
his pat-ents, lived with them in Lee County for one g|i 
\ e;u-. and then located in Madison Township of this ^ 
lountv. Me was married to Miss Sarah E. Corwin. 



.May 2(1, l.s6(j. Mrs. C. vvas born in New Jersey. Si! 
Sept. 1 1. 184.5. being a daughter of S. O. and Lydia SJj} 
K. (Baker) Coi'wiii, also natives i.if New Jersey. 3; 
By this marriage there have been four children: ip 
Nellie is the wife of E. Knight, of this township; s|} 
Frederick, Josella and Harry are at home. 



r'r'r'Hr'Hgggggg: 







"bidf^r'HH 




;i3 



i^a 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



II 



Mr. Coffin served three 3'ears in the late war, as 
a member of Co. H, 8th Iowa Vol. Inf., and par- 
ticipated with his command in all its engagements. 
He was in the battles of Black River, Champion 
Hills, and other engagements preliminary to the in- 
vestment and siege of Vieksbnrg. and witnessed 
the surrender of that stronghold, .luly 1. 1863. At 
the second battle of Corinth he received a severe 
wound in the neck, not sufficient, however, to dis- 
able him. He was also with Gen. Hanks in his 
famous Red River campaign, and continued with 
his regiment until the expiration of his term of 
service, receiving his discharge at Davenport, Iowa. 
His record is that of a brave soldier, who performed 
every dutj' in a creditable manner. 

Mr. Coffin owns 197 acres of fertile land, in a 
high state of cultivation and well improved. His 
earlj' education was received in the common schools 
of this county. He was a close student and apt 
scholar, and possesses a fund of general informa- 
tion. He is an enthusiastic Republican, and socially 
belongs to Phil. Kearnej' Post, G. A. R. Mr. Cof- 
fin manages his business wisely, is fairl}' successful 
in life, and enjoys the friendship and association of 
a large circle of acquaintances. 



^"■*"W" 



ii 



i: 

1:. 

ir 



R^ 




c 



children, as follows : Alice is deceased ; Charles F. 
lives in Monroe Township; Frank and an infant 
child are deceased; Jessie and Edith are at home. 
Politically Mr. Sarvis is a Democrat. He was 



ENRY J. SARVIS, a well-to-do farmer of 
Monroe Township, is the owner of 193 acres 
of good land, which is in fine cultivation, 
and provided with excellent improvements. 
He has prospered in liis business and agricultural 
operations, and as a citizen, neighbor and friend, 
enjoys tiic confidence and esteem of an extended cir- 
cle of acquaintances. Mr. Sarvis was born in Indi- 
ana, April 2, 1K32, and came to Iowa with his par- 
ents in 1S13. His father, .Jonathan Sarvis, was .a 
native of Kentucky, and is still living in \^llite 
Oak Townshii), this county. His motiier, Nancy 
(W^'more) Sarvis, was a native of Kentucky, and 
died in tliis county in l.s63. 

Wlien about thirty years of age the subject of tliis 
sketch was married, in 1862, to Miss Anna Basey, 
who was l)orii in W.ashington Countj', this State, 
Oct. 27, l.sau. Of this union there were born six 




mm 



reared by parents who were members of the Chris- 
tian Church, and his wife in religious belief is a 
Baptist. 

<Ji )j^ B. QCARTON is a farmer, and resides on 
\/iJii ^^'•■'''"•1 '^^- Cedar Township. He was boiii 
W'i in Yorkshire, England, July 28, 1821, and (j^J]j 
is the son of Thomas and Lydia (Barlow) (.Juartou, nj nJ 
natives of England, who came to America in 182!). ,ty_JU^ 
They made the voyage in a sailing-ve.ssel, and were ^ 
eight weeks and one day crossing the ocean. They 111; j 
landed in Quebec, and immediately started for 
Morgan County, 111., making their way by lake and 
river to St, Louis, and from there to ]Morgau 
County l)y wagon. Tliey ruiuained in Morgan 
Countj', engaged in farming, until Mr. (^u.nrton be- 
came too old to work, when he sold his farm and 
retired to a home in Winchester, 111., where he and 
his good wife lived until their de.ath. 

W. B. Quarton remained with his parents until 
he was twenty-one years old, and then began life 
on his own account, working tlie first six years at 
whatever he could find to do, sometimes at home 
and then witli strangers. In September, 1849, he 
was married to Ciiarlotte IJill, a native of York- 
shire, England, born Feb. 27. 1>^'-12, anit a daughter 
of John and .Maiy (Dunel) (iill. They came to 
America in 18 1(1, making the tri|) in a sailiu 
sel, and landing in New Orleans, came up the .Mis- 
sissipiji Kiver to Naples, thence to .Morgrui County, 
111. He wa> a boot and fhoe maker by Ir.-nle, and 
f(jllowed that bnsiues> until his death, which, with 
that of hi.s wife, t)ecnired in Morg.ui County, 

To the union of Mr. and Mrs. (Quarton have been 
given twelve t-hildreu: Marion is the wife of A. 
\'an Norsdale, and resides in Kansas; T. .M. mar- 
ried Emma Barnes, and lives in .Minnesota; Georgia 
is the wife of Joseph ]\lcFall, and lives in (Jska- 
loosa; Charlotte is the wife of .lames Byraui. and 
lives in Minnesota; \V. B. is a lawyer, and resiile.- 
iu Algona, Iowa; Amee F. live? with her parents. 



XXXHJIitxrnxxTn i 






rXXXXITTIIKJ 



XX2 t IXXXXl XXZl : 



2ititiiii Jia 




ICITJ* 



■XTTT I ir JX I tXIJ. - 



408 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



as does also Kzra D. The following are deceased : 
Ilammoleketli, Minnie, Ann M. and Nathan. 

Mr. Quarti>n owns 290 acres of very tine land, 
240 of which arc in a high state of enltivation, with 
the very best class of iinprovenients, and every- 
thing that is necessary on a well-regnlated and first- 
class farm. As a fanner Mr. (^narton has no su- 
perior in the connty, astiie neat and well-kept fields 
and fences at the home i)lace clearly indicate. He 
takes great [iridc in his l)uildings and in having all 
his improvements of the liest character, comfort- 
able and convenient. .Mr. (^iiarton is a hospitable 
gentleman, after the English st> le, and makes yon 
welcome to a tal)le that groans with the best of 
cheer. Wherever known he is highly regarded as 
a most estimable citizen. 



m 




Tf?OHN VOORHEES, of Black Oak Townshii), 
is a pioneer of the daj's of ISoo. He was 
born in AVarren County, Ohio, Oct. 2, 1.S2'J, 
and is a son of John K. and Mary (Rynear- 
Sfm\ son) A'oorhees, natives of New Jersej-, both (jf 
ij H whom settled in Ohio |)rior to their marriage. John 
^-^ K. vv.as a blacksmith by trade, but in his later life 
followed farming. His wife died Dec. 28. l.sca, at 
II ii: the age of si.xty-three. Mr. \ot)rhees afterward 
Si: jiji came to Iowa, and died in this county Oct. 3, 
1873, aged sevent3'-six years. There were eleven 
children in his family, five of whom died in child- 
hood, six grew to manhood, and four are still living. 
The subject of our sketch was the fourth child, 
and grew to manhood on the farm, receiving onlj- 
a limited edueatiou iu the district school. In l.Soo 
1!; he concluded that the boundless West afforded bet- 
^^ ter opportunities fi ir a young man, and consequently 
1 turned his face towai'd tlie setting sun and soon 
^ found himself in this county. His capital was $800 
in cash, which he invested in the piuchasc of 240 
aci'es of land on section IG, Black Oak Township, 
the cost price being 12,250. He paid out his ?.S0(i 
and went in debt for the remainder. It was com- 
H] parativelj raw land, with only a few acres broken, 
but had a iMetly good house for those times, and 
then he began the stiuggle for life. 

Believing, like one of old, that "it was not goo<l 



M 



for man to be alone," Mr. Voorhees was united in 
marriage, March KJ, 1H54, with Margaret Canine, 
a daughter of Peter X. and Charity Canine. She 
was born in Montgomery County, Ind., Aug. 28, 
1836. Bj' this union there have been eight chil- 3|H 



at home. 







CjSPr^ 



ruuxxxi 






I 
I 

5i-^t 



3 1 



dren, two of whom died in infancy, and six arc 
j'et living: John K. is a farmer in this township, 
and the inventor of the check-rower, an attachment 
to a corn-planter, manufactured b}' the Pella man- 
ufacturing companj': Elbert 8. D. is a traveling- 
salesman in the employ of the Pella Manufacturing 
Company; Dora E. is the wife of S. J. Kent, and is ^\ 



It 

1 



living in Kansas; Frank C, Melvan and Fi-ed are :;i 

II 

Following his marriage Mr. \'oorhees engaged SS 
actively in the cultivation and improvement of his Sijn 
lantl, as much as his means would permit, and soon 31: 



found himself out of debt, and then purchased 1 60 
acres of land on section 20, and still later added 
eighty acres more to his home farm, which now 
comprises the east half of section 16. In 1871 he 
built his present residence. It is a brick structure, 
with two stories and a mansard roof, costing $10,- 
(1(1(1. It is not onl_v one of the finest farm resi- 
dences in this county, but we doubt much if it is 
excelled in the State. The brick for its construe- l^^ 
tion was manufactured on the farm in 1870. s;[i 

In his |)olitical relations Mr. Voorhees is a Ke- 
publicau. He is engaged in stock-fanning, and it 
may be truthfuUj' asserted is the leader in that bus- ;';: 
iness in this part of the State. He was one of the :;} 
incorporators of the State Insurance Company, of l]\ 
Des Moines, and at the present time is a member Si{ 
of its Board of Directors and the owner of 1 20 
shares of its capital stock. He is also a Director % 
and stockholder in the Mah.aska County Bank at 3j 
Oskaloosa. j; 

From a comparativel}' insignificant amount of '"^ 
means with which to begin life, ^Ir. \'oorhees has 
reached atllueuce, and is numbered among the a|i 
wealthy farmers of the county. He is a gentleman 
of tiiic ability, as thoroughly conversant on gen- 
eral topics as with the details upon the home farm. 
He early became self-reliant, and l)elieving full3- 
that a will to do developed a way. worked out the 
prolilem of success in life with no other aids than fc 
energy and imlustry, supplemented by wise man 



:;n. 
;;a 

i 

Tin 

" :IU 



;.-:v 

I 
1 



Hi 
I 

I 
1 
1 
t 
I 
1 
I 
I 
I 
I 
1 

I 
;i 

I 

:I 
It 

5KI 



5fiESI 



, , , , i u ■ , , , , , , , , ^ , I i4-mj ^HajiiocBi'M ' 




MAHASKA COUNTY 



:igeim'iit. lie is properly classed aiiunii; the lead- 
ing men »il' the county, not because of liis wealth, 
but the moral and mental ability he possesses. 
There are none who enjoy in a greater degree the 
conlidence and esteem of their friends than Mr. 
\" 1 lorhees. 



m 



ns-.z 



SUNA OEHARD, a popular and higiily es- 
ifr^ teemed teacher of Mahaska t'ounty, and re- 
' *' — ^ siding in (iarfield Townshi|), is the daughter 
of Edward and Margaret L. (ierard. and was Imrn 
near Beacon, this county, Juh' 19, iJ^Oti. At the 
early age of five 3'ears, she suffered the loss of a 
fond parent in the person of her father, whose 
biography- will be found elsewhere in this work. 

.Miss Gerard pursued her early studies in a coun- 
try- school-house, and at tlie age of sixteen years 
entered the High School of Beacon, whence she 
graduated two years later, in 1884. The following 
year she attended Oskaloosa College, and with the 
exception of the time spent there, has lieen en- 
gaged, since 1884, as a teacher, which honorable 
profession she has followed with flattering success. 

Miss (ierard also supplemented her collegiate 
course with a full term at the Mahaska County 
Noimal .School, and is a member vf the Teachers' 
Iowa State Reading Circle. After an experience 
of seven terms in teaching, she has won a place in 
the front ranks as an instructor, being respected b}- 
patrons and loved by her pupils. She is possessed 
of marked literary attainments, and iier cultured 
mind is a passport to the best society wherever she 
may have her residence. 



Oak Township; (ieorge II. resides at New Sharon; 
-lolin A. make? his home iii Neliraska; Kstlier is de- 
ceaseil : Daniel A. is a resident of Nebra,-ika; Mary 
K. lives at home. 

In his |)olitical affiliations he is a member of the 
Republican party. The home farm consists of 
eight}" acres of fine land, in good cultivation and 
well impi'oved. Here they have resided for nearly 
a thii'd of a century, toiling for a home and seek- 
ing to enjoy a portion of the blessings of this life 
while jouiiieying along its pathway, and in this en- 
<leavor have been reasonablj- successful. It is a 
|ileasant reflection for them to take a retrospect of 
life, and find that in a residence of many years 
among frien<ls and neighbors they have always en- 
joyed to the full their confidence and respect. Mr. 
and Mrs. Hansell are acceptable members of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church. 



,|l v. ICHAKlJ HANSELL, a prominent resident 
of Prairie Township, was born in the State 
c4i«\ of Penn.-iylvania. .lune 1."), l«ls. He came 
^©) to Iowa in the j-ear l.s,J4, making set- 
tlement in Prairie Township. Jan. 19, 1.S47, he 
was united in marriage with JHss Sarah A. Whar- 
ton, also a native of Pennsylvania, who was born 
Oft. 21, 1823. Their union has been blest by the 
liirth of si.v children: Samuel W. lives in Black 



EOROE SHEESLEV. of Richland Town- 
shiij, dates his residence in tiiis county back 
to the pioneer days of 1854. He was born hi h 
in Fairfield County, Ohio, .Inly 14, 1827. His par- 




1 



Ifl 



ents were George and Elizabetii (Meyers) Slieesley, fj^Ml 
both natives of Pennsylvania. While our subject '[I 
was yet a lad the family removed to Franklin 
County, Ohio, and here he grew to manhtjod. In 
1 837 the}- removed to Alabama, but not liking the 
South Mr. Sheesley returned the .same year to Ohio. 

In I80O our subject was united in marriage with 
Miss Eliza Peffers, who was born in Licking 
County, Ohio, .luly 19, 1.S32. Of this union nine 
children have been born, as follows; Uavid E. is a 
farmer in Cass County, Neb.; George P. is a law- 
yer at David City, Neb.; Mary R. is the wife of .1. 
C. Burks; William M. lives in Richland Township; 
.lohn S. is an attorney, and the present County 
.Judge of Polk County, Neb. ; Phwbe, Martha E., 
Eldie A. and Joseph L. are at home. 

When the subject of this sketch came to Iowa he 
purchased 100 acres of land on section 8, of Rich- 
land Township, for which he paid *10 per acre, 
*500 cash and the balance on time, and finished 
paying for the same in 18(;4. His father, George 








rmicxmnjcLtxtxx^ uLii ' if 



jrxrux2xxn, I 




|ix«ixxrxjrrTixtxrixir«X7rii_r 



Miimxiii 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



m\ 



Sheeslej", came to Iowa in 1858, locating in Jasper 
County, .tnd there died in 1868. His wife had 
died ill I (hill several years before. In the early 
day,* of -Mr. Siieesley"s;residence in this township, 
the lines of school districts were not clearly defined, 
and in 18.')'.) a building- wa.s rented and the first 
school of that portion of tlie county was taught by 
Mi.ss Fisk. The Directors, not icnowing the bound- 
aries of the district, had rented a house outside of 
its borders, and later on Miss Fisk was taken sick, 
.so tiuit the school was susjjended until Mr. Shees- 
ley became Director, procured a building within 
the district, and engaged a second teacher. .Soon 
the rented structuie gave way to thei^rimitive log 
scliool-housc. which has long since been replaced 
by an excellent frame liuilding, both of which were 
constructed under the direction of Mr. 8heeslej% 
who served the jieople faithful]}' for man}' years as 
School Director. He is the firm friend of educa- 
tion, and has given his children superior advant- 
ages in this respect. Several of them have at- 
tended college at Fella, and one, George P., is a 
graduate of that institution. 

Politically Mr. Sheele}' is a Democrat, and has 
served as Township Assessor for five 3ears. He is 
a member of the Christian Church at Peoria, His 
present farm consists of 400 .acres of choice land in 
the best state of cultivation, and with flrst-class im- 
provements. He ranks as one of the leading agri- 
culturists of this township, and gives his attention 
particularly to stock-raising. Careful management 
of his interests has placed him in comfortable cir- 
cumstances. In all the relations of life, whether as 
husband, father, neighbor or citizen, his character 
shines out brightly, untarnished by a dishonest act. 




-^S»;^ - 



^\^ 





LPIIKUS 15. CONAWAY, M. D., residingat 
New Sharon, is a native of Harrison Coun- 
ty, Ohio, and was born May 12, 1849. His 
fatiier, Aaron Conaway, a native of ilary- 
land, went to Ohio with liis parents when a small 
boj', and in 183.i was united in marriage with Dor- 
cas Busby, a native of Harrison County. He is a 
farmer by occupation, but was admitted to the bar 



B; 



. g,: 

several years ago. Mr. and Mrs. Conawaj' still re- 5; 
side at the old home near Cadiz, the former having Sji 
attained the age of seventy-nine, and the latter i 
seventy-seven ^ears. They are the parents of 
fourteen children, six of whom are living, as fol- 
lows : Michael, a farmer and blacksmith, near Scio, 
Ohio; John B., a physician at Smithfield, Ohio; 
Henry O.. a physician, resides at Des Moines, and 
is Professor of Obstetrics in Drake University; 
Rachel IM., wife of James F. Welsh, a farmer, re- 
sides in Harrison Count}', Ohio; Belinda C, wife 
of ^Villiam Burier, a farmer, also resides m Harri- 
son County, Ohio. 

The subject of this sketch, Alpheus B. Conaway, 
is the youngest of the living children. His early 
life was spent on the farm, during which time he 
attended school, and, being an apt scholar, began 
teaching at the age of fourteen. He afterward 
woiked in a sawmill for a short time, and followed 
railroading thirteen mouths. At the age of seven- 
teen he entered a general store at Dennison, Ohio, 
and served as clerk for two years, and during this ^? 
time began and pursued the study of medicine, aft- i 
erward attending lectures at the Cincinnati College 
of Medicine and Surgery, and graduated from that 
institution Feb. '22, 1873. He afterward rode with 
his brother. Dr. J. B. Conaway, and practiced his 
profession until the fall of 1874, when he attended 
the Eclectic Medical College at Cincinnati, gradu- 
ating therefrom May 12, 1875. 

June 24, 1875, Dr. Conaway was united in mar- 
riage with Miss Josephine C. C'ahill, and imme- 
diately located at East Springfield, Ohio, where he 
practiced medicine nearly three years, and then re- 
moved to Minerva, Stark Co., Ohio, where he re- 
mained only one year, on account of the ill-health 
of his family, removing to Lucas when his brother. 
Dr. H. O., was about to leave that point, and suc- 
ceeded him in a very lucrative practice. Here he 
worked hard early and late, and succeeded in sav- 
ing |i2,000, which he loaned to a friend, and which 
was never returned. 

In the fall of 1880 the Doctor sold his practice 
and the good-will of his business to Dr. J. K. 
Khumell, who had been a student in his office, and p } 
came to Iowa with the intention of locating at 
Thornburg, but not succeeding in getting suitable §k 



r»ntmt (-, llJQ^l 1.11 1 W\ ^^}S^? 

Sr'r'HHrn 



i; 






ii 




.arn-Tr'-feL 




MAIIA8KA COUNTY. 



rooms at thnt place he came to New Sliaioii, Jan. 
28, 18!^1, and at once received a good practice. 
Trouble, it jjccnis. never c<jnies singly, and .■ilinrlly 
after coming to Iowa the Doctor had his horse 
stolen, and later on. when he had again saved some 
mouej', he invested it in a lively h;irn, wiiich, with 
its contents, wa.s destroyed by lire. IJnt notwith- 
standing these misfortnnes the Doctor did nut de- 
spair, but continned his labors, appaicntly as clieer- 
fuUy as if nothing had occurred. 

In September, liS.Sl, the Chair of Anatomy in 
Drake University was tendered him. and declined. 
In 1882 the Chair of Obstetrics in the same institu- 
tion was tendere(l him, which he accei)ted and held 
for two years. When he accepted this position, his 
brother, Dr. II. ().. removed from Deep River to 
New Sharon, and joined him in his practice. In 
1883 Dr. II. O. accepted the Chair of Anatom}' in 
Drake University, and as this left Dr. A. B. alone 
in his large practice, he was compelled to resign 
his position that he might give his whole attention 
to his business at home. Later <jn he \v;is made 
emerHus Prt)fessor of Obstetrics, and Lecturer on 
Venereal Diseases, upon which l)ranclics lie delivers 
Ave lectures each month. 

Dr. Conaway is a member of tlic Iowa State Ec- 
lectic Medical Association, also a member of the 
National Eclectic JMedical Association, and in .June, 
188(1, rei)reseiited the State of Iowa and Drake 
University at the annual session of the Eclectic 
Medical Association, at Atlanta, tla., and was suc- 
cessful in gaining full recognition for the medical 
department of Drake Universit3-, as the following 
resolution, which was unanimously adopted, shows: 

Heso/red. That the medical department of Drake 
Uiiiversit_v, properly' known as the Iowa Medical 
College, be hereby recognized by this associatiori 
as a sister institute of the eclectic faith, and tiial 
henceforth it be entitled to re|)resentatiou and all 
other honors enjo3ed by other incilical colleges 
recognized by this association. 

In his political relations the Doctor is a Repub- 
lican, and a stanch, unwavering supporter of the 
party. lie is a member of the .Masonic fraternity, 
and at present Worshipful Master of Mahaska 
Lodge No. 330, at New Sharcjn ; also a member of 
Hiram Chapter No. fi, R. A. .M., and Conimandery 
No. G. K. T., at Oskaloosa. He is a member of 



the Iv. of P., of which he has been Chancellor Com- 
mander, and a member of Sniilhlield Lodge No. 
.'.I'.i. 1. O. (). F.. of which lie was tile first Noble 
( irand. 

Dr. and Mrs. Conaway have one son, Clyde, born 
April 7. IsiTT. Dr. Conaway is a self-made man 
in every sense of the word, and the incidents re- 
lated in this liiography are an indication of a firm- 
ness of purpose and a will power that will not per- 
mit him to stop sliort of impossibilities. Reverses 
that would daunt an ordinary man are to him a 
sliiiiiibis for har<l('r work and closer application, 
lie is a success in his profession because an en- 
thusiast and a close student. He enjo^ys the confi- 
dence and esteem of all who know him because of 
his rnanlv manliness. 



. L:; 




-<3= 



T—r 



L. h 



T^ 



€>• 



]OIIN H. WHITE, of Peoria, this county, well 
known as an experienced and skillful auc- 
tioneer, is the eldest son of Abner C. and 
(^^.' Zilpha L. \\hitc. (See their biography else- 
where in this volume.) He was born in W.a^^ne 
County, Ind., June 7, 1837, and there resided until 
1 s.5.5, when with the family he came to Iowa, driv- 
ing one of the teams the entire distance. During 
the first ^-ear of his residence in Iowa he followed 
the business of freighting between Oskaloosa and 
Keokuk. Ill April, 18G0, he went to Darke County, 
Ohio, and J.au. 19, 1861, was united in marriage 
with Miss Martha A. Tillson, a native of that 
count}'. He returned to Iowa in June, 1862, loca- 
iiig in Oskaloosa, where his wife died April 14, 
1 8(J3. To them had been born two children, both 
now decea.sed. 

During the late war .Mr. White iMilisted, in May, 

1864, in Co. D, li32d Ohio Vol. Inf., and served 
five months with his command, being mustered out 
in January, 186.'). Returning to Oskaloosa, Jan. 14, 

1865, he was married to Mrs. Sarah A. (Matchett) 
Mace, a native of Washington County, Pa., who 
was born Feb. 14, 1«41. Soon after his marriage 
Mr. White removed to Fremont, and thence to 
Peoria, in 1868, where he has since resided, with 
the exception of the year 1874, which was spent in 



Kxcz n I rx ▼ cxx zxlixzxzj^Drzxx 






gltgTlI ^JU g 



In 412 



i! 



II 



tt 



wi 






txxxjjirmxnxii 



iraixjtrxririii 




nxTn rm nmj ; 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



Cass Cuiiiity, Neb. In iKilities, like his father be- 
fore hiiii, uiir siibjeet i> a Democrat. He is a char- 
ter member of Miildli Post No. 12(j, C. A. K., ami 
.•I member of the J. (). (). F. By profession he is 
an auctioneer, ami has followed the business for 
many years, coupling with it that of stock-buying. 
Mr. \Aniite has no superiors in crying sales, and es- 
pecially that class of sales where live stock is the 
principal offering. His long experience as a buyer 
of stock has made him thoroughly conversant with 
the characteristics of the leading families, and his 
services are in demand far and near, in this branch 
of business. Alwa^'s fair in his representations, he 
enjoys the entire confidence of his circle of ac- 
quaintances, which greatly enhances the value of 
his services in his chosen profession. 



- =^ - 



■■mHi^ 



-^ 




^^EOUGE \V. .SHOCKLEY, of the firm of 
[|j (— ^ Johnson & Shockley Bros., publishers of the 
^^51 Saturday Globe, Oskaloosa, was born in New 
Vienna, Clinton Co., Oliio, Dec. 29, 1857, and is the 
son of Edwin and Frances M. (Truitt) Shockley, 
both of whom are natives of Ohio, and yet reside at 
New Menna, in that State. His father was a sol- 
dier in the Union army, and served till the close of 
the war. When he entered the service the family 
moved t(j Highland County, Ohio, where they re- 
mained for a time, and then returned to New 
^'ienua, where George ^V. was educated in the pub- 
lic schools. When seventeen years old he entered 
the ottice of the Friends' Publishing House to learn 
the printing trade. This was a flrst-class office, and 
headcpiarters of all the Friends' publications, the 
greater number of which, for the State of Ohio, 
were printed here. In this office our subject con- 
tinued three years, when the publishing house was 
removed to Columbus, Ohio, though part of the 
material was retained by J. D. McClintock, publisher 
of the New Vienna Register. Mr. Shockley entered 
the service of McClintock, and continued with him 
for a time, or until the paper failed, when he went 
to Springfield, Ohio, and worked in the office of 
the Springfield Daily Times for about six months. 
Returning to New \'ienna he worked for J. M. 
Hussev, who revived the Register, and conducted 



it under the name of the Record for one and a half 
years, then went to Columbus, Ohio, where he 
worked in the job room of the Ohio State Journal 
till the spring of I8sy, when he came to Oskaloosa, 
and in company with S. B. Kinsey, purchased the 
job office of H. B. Drake and continued the busi- 
ness. 

Mr. Shockley is a first-class practical printer, and 
soon succeeded in securing a large patronage for 
the office. Believing it not good for man to be 
alone, shortl}' after coming to Oskaloosa, he re- 
turned to New Vienna, Ohio, and on the UUh day 
of June, 1883, was united in marriage with Miss 
Cora D. Williams, a native of Ohio, and daughter 
of Thomas and Frances Williams of that place. 
Thej' have one child, Frank Perley. 

Mr. Shockley continued in partnership with Mr. 
Kinsey until April 1, 1884, when his brother, T. il. 
Shockley, purchased Kinsej-'s interest, and the firm 
of Shockley Bros, was organized, which one month 
later was changed to Johnson ik Shockley Bros., 
jjublishers of the Saturday Globe, am] general book 
and job printers. (See article on Saturday Globe.) 
I'olitically Mr. Shockley is a Democrat. He is a 
member of the Masonic fraternit}^ and with his 
vyife, belongs to the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
He is held in high esteem by a large circle of friends 
and acquaintances, and as business manager of the 
office, much of the credit is due him for the success 
of the Saturday Globe. 



Er-^-.-=; 



1 



y;ILLIAM BERRY, deceased, was one of the 
l^ioneers of 184.S. He was born in Wash- 
"^^ ington County, Ya., May 30, lisU. At 
the age of fifteen years he removed with his par- 
ents to Ohio and settled in Marion County. Here 
all that portion of his life until manhood w.as 
passed upon the farm. On Dec. 31, 1840, he was 
united in marri.age with Nancy Johnson, who was 
born in Delaware County, Ohio, Feb. 17, 1822. Of 
this union were born eight children, four of whom 
died in childhood. Of those who reacheil man 
and womanhood James M. enlisted in Co. C, 33d 
Iowa Vol. Inf., in 18G4, and died at Little Rock, 
Ark., of disease contracted while in service; John 



, M,,TTi..ii H'TTT.,,, mimTrr»n lT 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



413 



H., Lauren B. and Charles G. reside in Richland 
ijTownship. 

In 1848 Mr. Berr^- removed witli iiis family to 
this count}', making the entire journey bj' team. 
Arriving in the month of October he immediately 
purchased land, located on sections 10 and 11 of 
Richland Townsliip, and created a home for him- 
self and his faraih-, in which ho resided during the 
remainder of his life. His death occurred Aug. 27, 
1885, when sevent3'-one years of age. He had 
alwaj's enjoyed excellent health, and his death, 
occurred after a sickness of only one week, which 
j^ was as sudden as it was saddening. His remains 
j^are buried in Baldwin's Cemetery, and the ex- 
traordinaril}" large number of people who attended 
the funeral was evidence of the great esteem iu 
which he was held by those who knew him. 
JsS Mr. Berry was in early life a member of the 
|j|s Christian Church, but as societies of that denomina- 
jtion were scarce in Iowa at that early day, he 
formed no connection with any denomination after 
his settlement in this county. He was a liberal 
supporter of all churches, a man of strict integrity, 
[^ upright and honorable in all the affairs of life. His 
5j means were exceedingly limited when he came to 
this county, and he experienced all the hardships 
and struggles incident to pioneer life, working 
{Sbravel}- and untiringly that those who followed 
I Rafter him might enjoy the fruits of his labor. In 
;|this he was successful, and left his famil}- in good 
circurasUinces. His estate consisted of 240 acres 
ipof very fine land, which he had brought to a high 
i;c state of cultivation with improvements of the better 
^grade. His widow still survives, and resides with 
her children. 



ILHAM HAZLETT, of Pleasant Grove 
Township, was born in the North of Ireland 
man}' j'cars ago. He came to the United 
States and settled in Philadelphia, Pa., where he re- 
mained one year, then went to Illinois and staid for 
four months, at the expiration of which time he 
came to Iowa. After his arrival here he worked at 
I farm labor by the month for ten 3'ears, and by 
rigid economy saved enough money to purchase 
his present farm of 1 60 acres, which is now iu an 



excellent state of improvement and cultivation. 

Feb. 9, 1876, Mr. Hazlett married Miss Eliza- 
beth Anderson, and to them four children were 
born: Alexander T. is defeased ; Jane E., William 
T. and Mar}' E., are at home. Mr. Hazlett is an 
unwavering Republican in his political affiliations. 
Himself and wife are members of the United Pres- 
bj'terian Church. 

Mr. Hazlett is possessed of that indomitable grit 
and perseverance that know no such word as fail, 
and has therefore made a fair success of life, though 
the way led over trials and difficulties that would 
have daunted most men. 



fOSHUA WAY, who lives upon section 6, Jef- 
ferson Township, located just across the line 
^^ iu Monroe County in 184a. He is a native 
'^^f/ of Wayne County, Ind., born in 1821, and 
is the son of Seth and Sally Way, both of whom 
are natives of North Carolina, but who are num- 
bered among the first settlers of Wayne County, 
Ind. When sixteen years of age he came with his 
parents to Van Buren County, Iowa, where he 
lived until 1843, when he made claim to 160 acres 
of land on section 36, Clay Township, Marion 
County, which he improved and on which he lived 
until 1849, when he moved into Jefiferson Town- 
ship, Mahaska County, where he owns the south 
half and the northeast quarter of section 6. He 
also still owns the original homestead iu Marion 
Count}'. 

Mr. Way was married, in September, 1842, to 
Miss Louisa Doud, a native of Licking County, 
Ohio. By this union there were five children: 
Emily is the wife of Thomas Mann, of Pella, 
Marion County ; Asbury, who was a member of the 
36th Iowa Infantry, and who served three years, 
died at his father's house in 1869; Catherine mar- 
ried Daniel Haun, of Jefferson Township, and died 
July 9, 1870, at her father's house; Taylor died 
when two years old ; Lydia lives in Omaha, Neb. 

Mr. Way's second marriage occurred in 1855, 
when he was united with Miss Ruth Ridlen, a na- 
tive of Decatur County, Ind., and daughter of 
Timothy and Sarah (Wright) Ridlen, the former a 




mm 





zxxzxxz m xxxrxxxKzxxx n 



"rrrrn^Ep* 



\l 












414 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



native of Maine, and the latter of Marjland. Tliej' 
are the parents of five children : Seth, born in 
1856 ; Charles Owen, born in 1 858. and farming in 
Marion Conntj', Iowa; AValter S., born in 1860, is 
farming in Jefferson Township, this county ; Will- 
iam J., born in 186.3, is fanning in Liberty Town- 
ship, Marion Co., Iowa; Horace Parker, born in 
187:5, lives at home. 

:Mr. Way commenced life poor, but by intlustry, 
economy and g<jod management, has acquired an 
independent fortune. He is now the owner of 
2,212 acres of land, the greater portion of which is 
well improved. In addition to general farming, 
he has given considerable attention to stock-raising, 
in which he has been uniformly successful. He 
has also engaged somewhat extensively in the 
purchase and sale of real estate, confining his busi- 
ness principally to Mahaska and adjoining counties. 
In polities he is a Republican. Mrs. Way is a 
member of the Methodist Protestant Church. 

A.l. J. W. McMULLIN, President and Gen- 
eral Manager of the Oskaloosa Livery and 
Transfer Company, is a native of Adams 
County, Pa., and was born near Gettys- 
burg. When nine years old he removed with his 
parents to Miami County, Ohio, where he grew to 
manhood, receiving his early education in a log 
school-house. His father was a farmer and settled 
among the heavy timber of that State, where J. W. 
worked for many yeai'S, assisting by his labor in 
opening up the farm. In the year 1855 he came 
to Oskaloosa. 

In 1861, at the first call for three year men, our 
subject enlisted in the 7th Iowa Infantry, and was 
commissioned Captain of Company C, participating 
with his command in the engagement at Belmont, 
the sieges of Fts. Henry and Donelsou, the battle 
of Shiloh, the siege and battle of Corinth and at 
luka. At the second battle of Corinth he received 
a severe gunshot wound in the left limb below the 
knee. The regiment was garrisoned at Pulaski, 
Tenn., during the winter of 1863, and the following 
spring joined the army of the Tennessee at Chat- 
tanooga, participating in the battles in and around 





k •/<»•■ 




that city at Snake Creek Gap, Resaca, and all en 
gagements up to and including the siege of Atlanta, 
Ga. After the battle of Shiloh he was promoted 
Major of the regiment, and served in that position 
until he was mustered out after three j'ears' service. 

Returning to Oskaloosa, Maj. McMuUin engaged 
in the liverj' business with F. L. Downing, under 
the style of Downing & McMullin, and which was 
afterward changed to McMullin it Co. In the 
spring of 1886, the company of which he is .at 
present the head was formed, b^' the consolidation 
of the firm of McMullin ct Co. with the Oskaloosa 
Livery and Transfer Company. 

Maj. McMullin is a member of Mahaska Lodge 
No. 16, I. O. O. F., and of Oskaloosa Encampment 
No. 8, and has filled all the chairs in both orders. 
In Masonry he is a Knight Templar, and also a 
member of the A. O. U. W. He was a member of 
the Citj' Council for two years, rendering the city 
valuable service during that time. In politics he is 
a Republican of the radical type. 

The Major was married in Piqua, Miami Co., 
Ohio, to Miss Carrie E. Munsell, a native of Ohio. 
The issue of this marriage is one child, Sarah S., 
now the wife of Rev. J. R. Noble, of Missouri. 

Maj. McMullin takes a lively intei-est in all 
matters of Church and State, is generous to a fault, 
and is an active, public-spirited citizen, never with- 
holding either influence or means where the same 
tends to the advancement of public interest. 



R. LI15BY, of Madison Township, one of 
the pioneers of 1840, and now living retired 
from active labor, was born in the State of I 
Delaware, Aug. 25, 1816, being a son of | 
Elijah and Celia (Tnll) Libby, both of whom were 
natives of Delaware. His father was born in 1780, 
and died in 1^49. His mother, born in 1782, died 
in 1851. 

The subject of this sketch after coming to Iowa 
located at Muscatine for one year, and then re- 
moved to Lee County, where he lived until 1843. 
In Ma3' of that j^ear he came to this county, and 
settled in Monroe Township, where he located a 
claim, upon which he lived until 1-849, and then 



.n.r-_r- .c 4r-r:& - 



I 



« 



1% 
IS 

1 55 



136 
1^ 



IS 



lit 



i.-S 



li 



1 

12 



Plr^'Hl-'t-l^l 



f-J^^^'-T 



iiix^>iuti_i_rt 1 



3HHB 




MAHASKA COUNTY. 



removed to Madison Towusliip, where he now re- 
sides, lie wa.s united in marriage with Miss Eliz- 
abeth Iligginbolham, Jan. 18, 1846. Mrs. Libb3' 
is a native of Kentiickj', was born in 1819, and is a 
daughter of .lames and Sarali (Miracle) Iliggin- 
botham. Her parents were natives of Kentucky. 
Her father died in 18.57, and her mother in 1852. 

Mr. and Mrs. Liblw are the parents of nine chil- 
dren, as follows: Mary, wife of 1'. Fox, lives in 
Oregon; William is in Adair County, Iowa; Har- 
riet .1., -Mrs. H. C. Lighter, lives in Cass County, 
Iowa; James H. is in Nebraska; Charles, in Bour- 
bon County, Kan. ; Celia is the wife of J. F. Wells, 
of Cass County, Iowa; Ida is the wife of J. P. 
Price, and resides with her father; Esther E. mar- 
ried J. L. Barrett, of Chariton Count}', Kan. ; Jerry 
lives in Cass Count3\ Iowa. 

Politically Mr. Liliby is a member of the Dem- 
ocratic party, and has held the offices of Road 
Supervisor and School Director. His home farm 
consists of 142 acres, in good cultivation. He is 
in comparativel}' easy circumstances financiallj^ 
and is enjo3'ing the well-earned repose to which 
the struggles and trials of pioneer life have justlj' 
entitled him. Among his large circle of friends 
and acquaintances he is highlj' esteemed for his 
manj- excellent qualities. Mrs. Libbj- is a mem- 
ber of the Christian Church. 



■~w..~v«jaje£>©^-«-| 



*@*>3/^ir*^*'\/wv 




BNER C. WHITE, now a resident of Green- 
wood, Cass Co., Neb., settled near Oska- 
loosn. May 0, 1 80,5. He was born in 
Franklin Township, AVa_yne Co., Ind., Dee. 
28, 1816, and on a farm in that State gi-ew to man- 
hood. He was married, in 1836, to Miss Zelpha 
L. Howell, a native of North Carolina, born June 
13, 1810, but who wont to Indiana when twelve 
years of age. 

Mr. White came to Iowa in 18,').5, bringing his 
wife and family with him in two covered wagons, 
and occnp^'ing twentv-one days on his westward 
journe}'. He imrchased eighty acres of land five 
miles southwest of Oskaloosa, and near the Des 
Moines River. l)ut. on account <>f the ague in that 




vicinity, sold his farm and removed to Fremont, i 
where he resided fifteen years, and cultivated a 
arm owned bj' him in Keokuk County. In 1870 
he removed to Richland Township, and fanned un- 
til 1879, when he removed to his present home in 
Nebraska. His family consisted of six children: 
John H., of Peoria, this count}'; Sarah J.. Mrs. 
Mooi'man, of Oskaloosa; Mary A., the wife of .1. 
Ryan, of Richland Township; William L., Thomas 
M. and Dora Belle, who reside in Cass Count}-, [^^ 
Neb. Mrs. White died in Nebraska, March 29, Fi! W 
1886. 

Politically Mr. White has always been a Demo- 
crat, and is a member of the Masonic fraternity. 
The same qualities which commended him to our 
people during his residence in this county, as an 
estimable, upright citizen, we doubt not have as 
fully established him in the confidence of his neigh- 
bors and friends at his new home. 



I 




V ALTER E. DAWSON, a young and ener- 
getic citizen of Fremont, Iowa, is becom- 
ing one of the important factors in its 
industrial interests, having in 1885 established a 
tile manufactory, which, combined with other busi- 
ness, is serving to give employment to numbers of 
men, and circulating large sums of money monthly. 
Mr. Dawson was born in Cherry Grove, Hamilton 
Co., Ohio, Oct. 2, 1861, and is the son of John and 
Catherine (White) Dawson. His father was a na- 
tive of England, and the mother of Pennsylvania; 
the latter died in Indiana about the year 1866. 
John Dawson is engaged in the manufacture of tile 
at Colfax, Clinton Co., Ind., being one of the first 
to engage in that business in that county, and is 
the patentee of what is called the n|)-and-down 
draft kiln for burning tile. He landed in America 
in 1850, and since that time, by his energy and in- 
dustry, and the profits of his invention, has :iccum- 
ulated a snug fortune of ?25,()00. 

The subject of this sketch came to this part of 
the county Aug. 20, 1885, .ind began the man- 
ufacture of tiling at Fremont. His works have a 
capacity of 20,000, or about $300 worth of tile per 
week. He has two drv-sheds. 100 feet long and 






I i_i.]ii 1 1 II 




■m: 



1 i 







XZJi-mn:- 



rrwi-rm mm n X3 rrrm m: i 



416 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 






■U'J<i, 




20 feet wide, two kilns, 16x18 feet, and burns one 
kiln per week. He has also a small house, 20x20 
feet, with engine-room, and a molding-shed, 60x20 
feet, attached. The works use the late improved 
Bennett Tile Maehiiie, which makes all dimensions 
up to fifteen inches, and is operated by a thirty- 
horse-power engine, made by Cunningham & Tem- 
ple, Lafayette. Ind. The mill is of the manufacture 
of Nordyke & Marmon, Indianapolis, Ind. His 
power also operates a corn-sheller. His clay ground 
is contiguous to the works ; the bed is inexhaustible 
in quantity, and of the finest quality. The works 
are situated near the Central Iowa Railroad, and 
finely located for the shipment of this class of 
goods. Mr. Dawson is turning out a very superior 
article of tile, and is doing a good and rapidly in- 
ci-easing business. 

Walter E. Dawson was married, Oct. 7, 1886, to 
Miss Anna .Inhnson, of Colfax, Clinton Co., Ind., 
and the young couple liave settled in Fremont, 
where they are highly esteemed among a large cir- 
cle of acquaintances. 



L-:^?^^HOMAS M. SHOCKLEY, junior member of 
the firm of Johnson <fe Shockley Bros., job 
printers, and publishers of the Saturday 
Globe, Oskaloosa, is a son of Edwin and Frances 
M. (Truitt) Shockley. He was born in New 
Vienna, Clinton Co., (^hio, Dec. 'J, 1862, and in that 
citj' was reared and educated in the common 
schools. He commenced learning the printer's 
trade in May, 1880, and in the office of the New 
Vienna Record, subsequently graduating from the 
"Poor Man's College." He afterward spent four 
months in the office of the Ohio State Journal, at 
Columbus, where he was under practical instruction 
n press \vork, in order that he mignt be better 
ualifled to take charge of all the branches of work 
required in that department of the business. In 
.March, 1884, he came to Oskaloosa, and April 1st 
of that jear pincliased the interest of S. B. Kinsey 
in the job printing-office of .Shockle3- & Kinsey. 

Before leaving New Menna Mr. Shockley was 
made a Mason, and since coming to Oskaloosa has 
united with Oskaloosa Lodge No. 58, K. of P. He 



I 

I 





CSSHHT 



i 



m 



is also a member of the Baptist Church, .and has Sz 

been Secretary of its Sunda^'-school in (Jskaloosa, Kh 

almost from the date of his arrival. Like his Si 

3Sl 

brother, (t. W. Shocklej', he is a first-class printer, aei 

and in the division of work in the office, has charge jg) 

of all the press work. The clean, handsome appear- „,, 

ance of the Saturday Globe indicates his proficiency S^H 
in that department, and contribiites in no small de- 
gree to its good reputation as a first-class sheet. 



.<^^ AMUEL JOHNSON, deceased, was for 
''^^ man}- j'ears a resident of Monroe Town- 
ship, Mahaska Count}'. He was a native of 
Ohio, born in Muskingum County, M.ay 5, 
1824. His father, George Johnson, was a native 
of Maryland, and his mother, Nancy (Huniphrej') 
Johnson, of X'irgiuia. The State of Ohio, in his 
youth, was l)ut sparselj- settled, and therefore Sam- 
uel experienced all the priv.ations incident to pio- 
neer life, and was inured to hard work, and had 
literally to earn his bread " by the sweat of his 
brow." He was practically self educated, but at- 
tended Concord College tor a time. In early life 
he developed a talent for music, in which he be- 
came quite proficient, and which, in after years, 
was the principal means Ijy wiiich he obtained a 
livelihood. 

In 1 846 Mr. Johnson was united in marriage 
with Miss Frances Gillagly, a native of Ohio, born 
in 1829, and daughter of Henry and Mary (Grand- 
staff) Gillagly. Ten children were born unto them : 
James W., now editor of the Saturday Globe, Os- 
kaloosa; Eleanor J., the wife of Dr. W. W. Hawk, 
of Mingo, Jasper Co., Iowa; Martha F., Mrs. Dr. 
J. W. Frank, of Kearne}-, Neb. ; Ezra, who mar- 
ried Miss Lou Wells, and is living at Indianapolis, 
Iowa; Mary C, wife of Geoi'ge Frank, living near 
Kearne}', Phelps Co., Neb. ; Wilbur, who married 
Miss Dell Turner, and is living in Oskaloosa; Alice 
and Stella are at home. Twi^i died in infancy. 

With the hope of bettering his fortune, Mr. 
Johnson moved with his family, in the spring of 
1864, to Maliaska Count}', and purchased a small 
farm near Indianapolis, Monroe Township, which 
he cultivated, and varied his occupation by teach- 



t-.n 

i 



]K-=^ ■ 



Ka^; 



KttT^-^A 



1 



geaa. 





9SS& 



I : 



MAHASKA CUUXTY. 



417 



1 



i 



V 

m 



131 




ing vocal music and officiating as a public auc- 
tioneer. In this latter l)usiuess he was (luite suc- 
cessful, and ill music he was equally proficient, 
often having classes occupying ever3' night in tlie 
week, save Sunday, and extending over consider- 
able territory in Jlahaska and adjoining counties. 
Several of liis children inlierited his musical talents, 
and wiiile llic liome circle was as yet unI)roken, a 
quartet was formed in the family, which was a 
source nf great pleasure, not only to themselves, 
but neighbors and friends who would drop into 
their hospilalile liome to e?ijoy a passing hour. 

Samuel Johnson was a sincere Christian, a zeal- 
ous member of the Methodist Kpiscopal Church, 
and a leader in all c'hurcli and social affairs in his 
neigliborhood. The cause of education found in 
hiin a stanch friend, and he was the encourager of 
eveiy enterprise tending toward the moral welfare 
of his community. 

While yet in the prinu' of life, death claimed this 
excellent man, he departing this life Feb. (I, IssTT, 
at the age of fifty-one years. His death was sin- 
cerelj" mourned not aUjne by her who had been 
trul3' a helpmeet to him for thirt3"-one .yeai's, and 
his children who had been guided bj' his wise coun- 
sels, but b}" all who had known him and who had 
been cheered by the songs he had sung, and by his 
generous and genial disposition. 



W . HDOrES, of Harrison Township, is a 
farmer and stock-raiser, residing on sec- 
tion 22. He was born at Dayton, Ohio, 
Dec. 10, 1841, and is the son of John and 
Barbara ((j rider) Iloopes, both natives of Pennsyl- 
vania, who removed to Iowa in the s|)ring of 185(), 
settling in Dubuque County, where the^- resided 
until IHtiU, thence removed to this countj% near 
Oskaloosa, where he has sitice I'esidcd. His wife 
died in IH7!», and her remains lie in the cemetery 
at Oskaloosa. In his young days John Hoopes fol- 
lowed the trade of tanner, but of l.ate years has fol- 
lowed farming. 

The subject of this sketch was mariied to Fran- 
celia A. Rarick, on the l.ith of October, 18G7. .She 
was born Jan. 1, la44, and is a daughter of Isaac 




ij^ijkJ 1 



and Marilla (Huntington) R,arick. The result of 
this union is four children : John A. and Harry B., 
deceased; Isaac N. and Mabel C. 

Our subject enlisted in Co. I, 21st Iowa Vol. 
Inf., Aug. i;i, 18(32, and went into camp at Camp 
Dunlap. Dubuque, thence to St. Louis and on to 
Rolla. From Rolla the regiment w.as sent to Hous- 
ton, thence to Harrisville, returning to Houston. 
While there it received orders to go to Springfield, 
and on the \\a\ met the rebel (ieneral, Beauregard, 
with 4,000 men and six i)ieces of artillery-. There 
were in the comm.ind lint 1,700 men and six pieces 
of artillery', but the^' held their position for eight 
hours, receiving three cavalrj' charges, repulsing 
them each time, when both armies retreated at the 
same time, the Uuicm troops returning to Houston, 
each army leaving a few to take care of the dead. 
From Houston the regiment marched over the 
Ozark Mountains to West Plains, from which 
point thev went to Iron Mountain, thence to St. 
(ienevieve, on the Mississippi River, remaining at 
each of those points about three weeks. Thej" 
went down the river in the sjuing of 1863, partici- 
pating in the entire caini»aign which resulted so 
gloriously in the capture <)f \'icksburg on the 4th 
of Jid}-. Fiom there thej- went to Jackson, par- 
ticipating in a three days' engagement with John- 
son, thence to New Orleans, and partici|iated in the 
diversion to Brashear City and up the Bayou 
Teche toward Texas, which w as intended to attract 
the attention of the rebels from Gen. Bank's expe- 
pedition, which was making its wa^" up Red River. 
Returning from their scout, they were sent up the 
White River .as far as Duvall's Bluff. 

From the latter named |)lace they were ordered to 
Memphis, Tenn., from which point thej- were sent in 
support of a command of cavalr\' sent to intercept 
the rebel Gen. Hood. The}' returned and were 
sent up Red River as far as St. Charles, where they 
remained two weeks, and came back to New Or- 
leans. Here they took the steamship .aiid went to 
Matagorda Baj', landing at Deeroes's Point, and 
thence overland to Ft. Ksperanza, Tex., routed the 
rebel force in that vicinity and returned to Powder 
Horn, on Matagorda Bay, and were again sent 
back to New Orleans by wa}' of Lake Pontchartrain. 
Here the}" were again embarked in the expedition 



- «fe±*-'-*— J^l- 




s 



¥f 



^m. 









l-lxm:ririxinTxr»mjnri.Ti 



tuzzxxzzxuzx TTZXcmXXXIXXJ: 



«j[ii-|rtTrizr« 



418 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



wm 



m 

If 



■ 



If 



1 

"=1 



against Ft. Gaines at the mouth of Mobile Bay, and 
participated in the capture of Ft. Blalvenc}' and 
Spanish Fort, the last l>attle of the war, shortly 
after which Gen. Lee surrendered the entire rebel 
arm}' to Gen. Grant at Appomattox. From there 
the>- returned to New Orleans, where they staid a 
shoit time, were sent to Baton Rouge for muster 
out, and lastly to Clinton, Iowa, where they were 
paid off and discharged, arriving home on the 2Gth 
day of .July, 180.5. 

Mr. Hoopes has eighty acres of land in an excel- 
lent state of cultivation, with a good house, barn 
and necessary out-liuildings; he has 215 head of 
sheep, six head oi horses, and eleven of cattle. He 
has prospered exceedingly- well in his i:)resent 
business, and as a citizen stands liigh in the regard 
of all who know him. 



i 



j;U 




G. BUTLER, one of the early pioneers of 
the Hawke^'e State, who located in Lee 
County, Iowa, in 1837, resides upon sec- 
tion 4, in .TefFerson Township, this count}'. 
He was born in Onoud.aga County, N. Y., in 1820, 
and is a son of Martin and Cynthia (Pottei-) But- 
ler, both of whom were natives of Connecticut. 
After coming to the West he became engaged on 
river improvements for the Government in the 
summer of 1838, after which he ran a sawmill at 
St. Fraucisville, Mo., for three years. In 1849 he 
came to Mahaska County, and entered 280 acres of 
land, then returned to Lee Count}' and engaged in 
farming till 1853, when he went to California, mak- 
ing the trip across the plains with an ox-team, be- 
ing five months on the road. Mr. Butler remained 
in California two years, engaged in herding cattle. 
He then returned by water on the steamer Golden 
Gate, and North Star, via the Isthmus of Panama, 
and was twenty days making the voyage from San 
Francisco to New York City, it being one month 
from the time he left San Francisco until he reached 
his home. The voyage was without adventure, the 
only rough water tliey encountered being the Gulf 
■Stream. After arri\ ing in New York Mr. Butler 
proceeded to Philadelpiiia, to iiave his gold assayed. 



He then returned to Jefferson Township, where he 
has since lived, and has one of the best farms in 
Mahaska County. 

In 1884 our subject made a trip to California by 
way of the Central Pacific Railroad, and was only 
five days on the road, the difference being very 
great between five days and five months, which was 
required for his first trip. He now says he would 
not cross the plains again with an ox-team for all 
the gold in California. After this last trip to Cal- 
ifornia he remained one year. 

Mr. Butler was first married in 1X41, to IMiss Al- 
vira Lampson, a native of New York, and daugh- 
ter of Andrew and Paturah (Campbell) Lampson, 
who were also natives of the same State. Three 
children blest this union, one son and two daugh- 
ters: Riley enlisted in the 33d Iowa Infantry, was 
taken prisoner on the Red River, in Texas, and 
died June 23, 1804. in Tyler (Tex.) prison, aged 
eighteen years ; Livoua is the wife of ^Vatson Co- 
der, of Washington County, Kan.; Lodoma be- 
came the wife of M. S. Harrold, of San Joaquin 
County, Cal., a prominent ranchman and miller, a 
large wheat-grower, and the owner of 25,000 acr(> 
of land. Mrs. Alvira Butler died Aug. 3, l.s.'il. 
aged thirty-four years. Jlr. Butler was again mar- 
ried, Oct. 5, 1851, to Mrs. Mary A. (Harrold) Tay- 
k>r, the widow of John iM. Taylor, ijy whom she 
had two children: Samuel, now in Oregon, and 
jNIargaret, the wife of Nelson Matthew. By the 
second niarriagf! of our subject, there were five 
children: Jenny Lind, wife of E. M. Wilson, of 
Garfield Township; William M., in Dennis, N. 
M., where he has been engaged in railroading five 
years in the employ of the A., T. & S. F. R. R. ; 
Alvira J., of Nebraska; Louisa, now at home; 
Aaron died when six months old. In 1882 Misses 
Alvira and Louisa Butler went to Colorado, where 
they remained two years, then returned east as far 
as Red Willow County, Neb., where they entered 
a tract of land, and Feb. 14, 1884, plowed the first 
furrow, and at once commenced to improve the 
claim. Tliey have since paid for the same, secur- 
ing the (iovernment patent. As a matter of course, 
both feel proud of their achievement, and well 
they may, as with their own hands tlie greater 
part of the work was done. Mrs. Butler died Dec. 



- 1 c^»i>mj \ T mf^fi^^ t -- 




MAHASKA COUNTY. 



■4i:i 



I, ■: 26, 1886, of heart disease. The main object of the 
f. : visit of ^Ir. Butler to California was for the beiK'- 

tL. - 

!i.i : lit of his wife's health, but the trip was in v:iiii. 
"m : Mr. Butler is the owner of SilO acres ^)f laml, 
;^- c nearly all of which is under cultivation. He be- 
ll] ; lungs to the Masonic fraternity, and was a member 
t -: of the County Board of Supervisors seven years. 
ti: He has also held the offices of Justice of the Peace, 
!•;: Township Trustee and Township Clerk. 



((^ farme 



«)IDP:0N DAUGHHERTV, an intelligent 
rmer and stock-grower of Adams Town- 
and a pioneer of 1851, is well known 
to almost every citizen of the county. He is a na- 
tive of Ohio, born in Logan Count3', Dec. 22, 1818, 
and is the son of Jarvis and Hannah (Marmon) 
Daughhertj', natives of Virginia and North Caro- 
lina respectively, the former being of Irish descent, 
and the latter of French, though somewhat remote. 
Tliey moved to Ohio at a very earlj- day, were 
there married, and became the parents of six chil- 
dren, three of whom are now living, two in Logan 
County', Ohio: Zacheus is on the old homestead, 
and Jane is the wife of Oliver Corwin. The par- 
ents are both deceased. 

Gideon Daughherty was reared upon a farm and 
educated in the common schools of his native 
county. He remained at home assisting his father 
on the farm until he was twenty-three years of age, 
when he was united in m.arri.ige with Miss Rebecca, 
the daughter of Conrad Marshall. .Six children 
were born unto them — Morgan, Marshall, Jarvis, 
Eliza, and two who died in infancy. Of this num- 
ber but one is living, Marshall, who yet resides at 
home, but who was married in 1874 to Mollie 
AVheeler, a native of Maryland. 

In 1851 Mr. Daughherty came west and entered 
800 acres of land in Adams Townshij), this county. 
He then returned to Ohio, and remainetl thereuntil 
1856, when he came back with his family, occupied 
the land, and has since made it liis home. He still 
retitins his original purchase, to which he has added 
about a quarter section. In 1872 he erected a large 
and commodious dwelling, in whicli he takes |)leas- 
ure in rrcclviug iiis friends, lie is an enthusiastic 



Mason, a member of the Blue Lodge, Chapter and 
Commandery, at Oskaloosa. Being now well ad- 
vanced in life and unable to attend the various 
meetings as often as he desii-es, yet when the 
weather is favorable, he is generally found present. 
In the summer of 1884 he invited the Command- 
ery and all Masonic friends to a grand dinner which 
he had prepared at his residence. About 100 
Knights and 200 Masons who had not advanced to 
that degree, .accepted the invitation, and it can 
readily be conceived that a grand time was had. 

AVhile never connecting himself with any relig- 
ious organization, Mr. Daughhertj' was reared in 
the faith of the Society of Friends, of which body 
his mother was a stanch member. He says it j'ct 
does his soul good to see the plain, simple dress of 
the old-fashioned members of that body. His 
wife was reared in the Presbyterian faith. Politi- 
callj' Mr. Daughhertj' has alwaj's been a Democrat, 
and upon National issues acts with that party, but 
in local affairs is decidedlj' independent of anj- 
party, voting for those he regards as the best men. 
"Uncle (iid," as he is familiarlj' called bj- his 
intimate friends — and these are legion — can have 
no higher tribute of respect paid to him. than to 
saj', he is one of God's noblemen, whose every im- 
pulse is to do good among his fellow-men, and bj' 
his example teach others that the world is made 
better, its people happier, ami one's own life length- 
ened and blest by following the glorious exam- 
ple of Him who said: "It is more blessed to give 
than to receive." This he has done, is doing, and 
will continue to do while he lives. It is the inner, 
better nature of the nnm, brightlj- beaming through 
his daily life and walk. It will be said of him later 
on, "Well done, good and faithful servant." 



LEXANDER M. RODGERS, of Garfield 
Township, is a native; of Ohio County, Xti., 
where he was born Nov. 17, 1819, and 
emigrated to Ohio with his parents at the 
age of two years. He is a son of lien jam in and 
Elizabeth (McCiee) Rodgers, the former a native 
of Virginia, and the latter of Jefferson County, 
Ohio. 

Thf subject of this sketch was married in l«ll. 



tt 



MJ, 



:rr^ 



'liSitSiJ 



\mm 



It 




iti i-iiiiriJxrxTXTTmOTBnS 




!^- 



W' 



u 



m 





420 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



to Miss Martha Flanegin, a' native of Ohio, and 
they became the parents of eight children, as fol- 
lows: James F. and Alexander M. died in infancy; 
Amanda is at home; William P., a bank solicitor 
at Minneapolis, Minn.; John, a Dakota farmer; 
Minnie J. died in infancy; Charlie D. is engaged 
at farming in Dakota; Louie A., a graduate of 
Oskaloosa College, in the class of 1885, is attend- 
ing the medical college at Iowa City. 

Mr. Rodgers was reared on a farm, but came to 
Oskaloosa in May, 1855, where he resided for twelve 
years engaged in merchandising. He afterward 
bought 120 acres of land on section 15 of this 
township, which he has improved, and on a portion 
of which he still resides. 

Mr. and Mrs. Rodgers and daughter are mem- 
bers of the Presbyterian Church. In his political 
affiliations our subject is a Republican. As a fam- 
ily, none are more greatly' esteemed than that of 
Mr. Rodgers. Hospitable in the highest degree, 
generous and charitable without stint, they are 
greatly esteemed by their friends and acquaint- 
ances. 

--^ ' ^ " "P ^^ 

^OHN P. WILKINSON is a well-known and 
I respected farmer residing in Union Town- 
ship. He was born in Greene Count3', Ohio, 
(^^jl/ Dec. 3, 1833, and came to Iowa Oct. 5, 
1856, with his parents. In 1857 be was united in 
marriage with Miss Cyiitliia Watkins, who was born 
in Greene County, Ohio, July 15, 1840, and came 
to Iowa with her jxarents when she was ten j'ears 
old. They are the parents of three children : Clin- 
ton lives in California; William resides at Cherry 
Vale, Montgomery Co., Kan. ; Blanche is at home. 

During the late Civil War Mr. Wilkinson en- 
listed, becoming a member of Co. B. 40th Iowa 
Vol. Inf., Aug. 14, 1862, serving with his regiment 
in the different engagements in which it partici- 
pated, among them being the siege of Vlcksburg 
and the battle of Salineville, Ark. He received his 
discharge Aug. 2, 1865. 

In his political affiliations Mr. Wilkinson is an 
ardent Republican. At his marri.age his father 
made him a present of seventy acres of laud, to 
which he added forty by purchase, and is nuw the 





¥/ y//////,^^^ ^ 



owner of 110 acres of splendid land, which he has|:( 
t)rought into excellent cultivation, and has well im- 
proved. Mr. W. is an energetic man and a good 
manager of his business, and has been fairly suc- 
cessful in life. He is known as a man of strict in- 
tegrity, honorable in his dealings with others, and M 
respected as a citizen, neighbor and friend. 



-;>t^>«-^»s^ 



'^!«f-»^te^ 



w 



ILLIAM SMALL, a resident of Pleasantl' 
Grove Township, was born in the State ofpj 
*Jf^' North Carolina, May 13, 1819, and re-|[ 
moved with his parents to Iowa in the year 1833,pJ 
locating in Lee Countj', where he remained for as|' 
period of ten years, coming thence to this county 5^^ 
in 1.S43, where he has since resided. June 3, 1841,3|i 
he was united in marriage with Bliss Susanna Mil-H-;;} 
ler, a native of Virginia, who w.as born Jan. 19,y 
1822. B^- this unitm there were the following chil-^ 
dreu: Isaac lives in the State of Kansas; ThomasSl 
A., William and Susanna are deceased; one died inp} 
infancy. %\ 

Mrs. Small died Nov. 30, 1850, and July 10,5^i| 
1851, he was again married, Miss Sarah A. Simp ""'* 



kins becoming his wife. She was a native of Vir- 






ginia and was born May l^i. 1830. By this latter Jifi 
marriage there have been four children : Nancy J. isj-il 
deceased; John L. lives in Pleasant Grove Town-|:} 
ship; James, in the .State uf Kansas, and Mary E.,2ei 
the wife of Marion Bradley, resides in this town-Kj 
ship. ffi I 

Mr. Small met with a severe accident Oct. 22, Ml 

1886, resulting in the loss of one of his eyes. He^ii 

Si- 1 
was sowing grass seed, which was in the chaff, and gl] 

some of the chaff blew in his left eye. He suffered 5|i 
greatly until December 7, when the eyeball was re §|i 
moved b}' Dr. C. J. Lukens, of New Sharon, as- 5|ij 
sisted bj' Dr. Cook, of Poweshiek Comity. ThisBfli 
was done in order to save the other eye, wiiieh was 
being affected. 

Mrs. Small is a member of the Methocli.st Episco- 
pal Church. -Mr. Small is a member of tlie Demo- 
cratic party. He is the ownei- of invty acres of 
good land in a good state of cultivation. He is 
one among the earliest settlers of tlie eouut^', com-Ki 

inii to its borders shortly after the Indians iiad va-3sil 

K 1 




iL^ "^"' iij2££gy 



sassssa 






MAHASKA COUNTY. 



4= 






P 
I 



ii 




cated the New Purchase, and has witnessed the 
mightj' changes that have occurred since that time. 
He is well and favorablj' known, and enjoj-s the re- 
spect and esteem of n large circle of friends and 
acquaintances. 

^f^ AVID VAIL, Mayor of New Sharon, and 

11 )ji editor and proprietor of the New .Sharon 
,f^jf^ Star, was born in Uelmont County, Ohio, 
^^ April 21, 1 «5 1 . II is father, John Vail, a na- 
tive of Belmont County, is a farmer by occupation, 
and now resides in Keokuk County, la. His mother, 
Abigail (Kdgerton) Vail, was a native of the same 
county, and is still living. John Vail and Abigail 
Edgerton were united in marriage Aug. 29, 1827, 
and to them were born fourteen children; three died 
in infancy and eleven are still living, seven boj's and 
four girls, named as follows: Semira L., Isaac N., 
Benjamin F., Mary, Hervey J., David, Anna, 
John N., Joseph S., Abigail E., and Walter E. 

When David Vail was thirteen 3'ears of age, 
the famil}' removed from the old homestead in 
Ohio to Iowa, locating in Keokuk Count}', where 
his parents yet reside. David was reared as a far- 
mer boy, tilling the soil in the summer months and 
attending school during the winter, and secured 
for himself the best education the common-school 
system afforded. In the fall of 1873 he left the 
farm and entered the office of the New Sharon Star 
as an apprentice to learn the printer's trade. His 
brother, Hervey J., now editor of the Pasadena 
iS'tor, at Pasadena, Cal., was then editor ;uid pro- 
prietor of the New Sharon paper. 

David Vail became a respected and prominent 
citizen at New Sharon, and on June 23, 1882, was 
commissioned Postmaster, which oflice he held 
until Jan. 1, 188G. On April 22. 18,So, lie pur- 
chased of his brother the New Sharon Star, and is 
now its sole proprietor and editor. 

Mr. \'ail has been twice married, tlie rM>t time, 
March tl, 1872. to Miss Ellen Coulsim, a native of 
Columbiana Count\', Ohio. Siie died .Ian. :i. 1 880, 
leaving two children. Cluirles C. and l.uelia. His 
second marriage occurred Feb. 7. 1882, with .Miss 
Vesta C. Coulson, a cousin of his first wife, also n 





native of Columbiana County, and by this union 
there has been one child, Theressa. The parents 
of David Vail are members of the Society of 
Friends, but he has never united himself with an}- 
ehnrch. He is a member of the Masonic fraternitj', 
and one of the principal officers of his lodge. In 
his political affiliations Mr. Vail is a very arden 
Republican, and has held many local offices. 

The old axiom that poets are bcjrn, not made, 
applies with equal force to the profession of 'f^^ 
journ.alism. It matters little what the literarj' ac- 
quirements of M man may be, unless the other essen- 
tials obtain, he will fail of success in the field of 
journalism. One must, literally speaking, have a 
"nose for nevts," and be ever on the alert to obtain 
this most desirable commodity. Then he must 
exercise the wisdom of a Solomon in leaving out 
that which should not be inserted and be careful to 
put into the columns of his paper evcrj'thing that 
should appear. He must be as patient as Job 
under the most trying circumstances. In ;i word, 
he must possess an individuality tiiat shall be 
stamped upon each issue of his paper before it can 
become a power among the people. A\'e believe 
Mr. Vail po.'i.sesses in an eminent degree all the jusieu 
essential qualifications of a first-class newspaper 
man, and the mantle of his brother, who established 
the New Sharon ^Stav, has indeed fallen njjon worthy 
shoulders. Personally Mr. \'ail is a most honor- 
orable gentleman, a nnin of strict iiilegrit}', one to 
be desired as a friend and fe;ucd as an enemy. He 
takes an active interest in all [jublic matters, giv- 
ing his first attention to tiie local interests of his JQ^ 
town and its surroundings, liut liberal and broad 
enough to com|)ass the interests of the county in 
which he lives. 



fl 



\ 
I 



■feis 



t-vtiicij/e-^^' 



^^ 




>*.^f^J/Z^^7>x« 'Vx/N/^. 



A. COWAN, a well-known citizen of Os- 
kaloosa. and senior member of the lirni of 
W. A. C'ow.-ui iV- Co.. millers, and proprie- 
tors of the Eureka .Mills at Beacon, was born in 
Ohio, Dec. 25. 18.50, and is a son of .Fames P. and 
Clementina (I)uer) Cowun. nMti\f.- of Penii>ylva- 
nia, who are now residing east of Beacon. The 
subject of this sketch was married, in ls78, to Mi» 



:zxxi3iiAlxtxn3iit 



422 




MAHASKA COUNTY 



Anna Rankin, a native of Terre Haute, Ind., ami 
to them have been bom two children, namely : 
Ktliel Margery and Cornie May. Mr. and Mrs;. 
Cowan are members of the Methodiist Episcopal 
Church. P(jlitically he is a Republican, and occu- 
pies the advance ground of the party on the ques^ 
tion of prohibition. 

The Eureka Mills at Beacon was established in 
1864, by Benjamin Roop, who operated it four or 
five years, when, by reason of financial embarrass- 
ments, it passed from his (jwnership and fell into 
the hands of John White, now deceased, and has 
been operated by various parties since, up tu the 
time it passed under the control of its present 
managers, W. A. Cowan & Co. The mill is a mag- 
nificent structure, 84x84 feet, and five stories high, 
the first two of cut stone, and the upper stories of 
brick, and was originally constructed with a view 
to its use as a mill and distillery. Its cost was not 

rw" f:ir from $100,()0(). The present capacity of the 
_ mill for merchant milling is thirty-five barrels per 
day, and can be greatly increased at comparatively 
small expense. It is the intention of the present 
owners to enlarge their facilities in this direction, 
indeed trade has increased so rapidly since coming 
^fsyjl under the present management, that this is ren- 
I .] derodalisolntelj' neces.sary. In addition to the large 
custom work done at this mill the3- manufacture 
and put upon the market the popular Legal Tender 
and Golden fSheaf Ijrands of flour, and handle three 
M grades of Dakota flour. The gentlemen composing 
ii, the firm are affable and popular, and are rapidly tak- 
ing the lead in milling in this county. The head mil- 
Hji ler is a gentleman of long experience in the busi- 
ness, and has few, if any. superiors in the State. 



ISS MARY D. M( MASTERS, of Union 
Township, was born in Gifford Connt3r, N. 
C, Aug. 16, 1821, and removed with her 
mother to Iowa in 1851, settling in Union 
Townshii), this county, where she has since resided. 
Her mother died in ls.s2, at the advanced age of 
ninety-two years. She had been deprived of ;i 
father's loving care wlien only thirteen years of 
age, he having died in the State of North Curolinji 



in the year 183:3. at the age of fifty-five years. The 
family consisted of seven children, of whom only 
two are now living. Hadley, (^uintin, .Samuel, 
Elizabeth T. and Eleanor L. are deceased; the lat- 
ter was the wife of J. R. Gorsuch, of I'nion Town- 
ship. 

The subject of this sketch. Miss Mary D. Mc- 
Masters, is a maiden ladj', and is the owner of a 
farm of 160 acres of excellent land, a portion of 
which is in' fine cultivation and well improved. 
Miss McMasters has the entire supervision of her 
farm, the cultivation of which she manages witlr 
rare skill and ability. She possesses noble ti'aits of 
cliaracter. excellent qualities of head and heart, 
and in her circle of acquaintances is highl}' es- 
teemed. 



y»;ILLIAM L. HAYS, a prosperous farmer of K 
Jefferson Township, was born in Jefferson ^ 
'^f^ County, Ohio, June 1.5, 1853, and is the son S 
of James and Rachel (Lee) Hays, both of whom were 
natives of Ohio. The subject of this sketch came :\h 
to Iowa in the year 1859 with his widowed mother, k}} 
who settled in Jefferson Township, wliere he was Si 
reared upon the farm and remained until reaching 
his majority. 

Mr. Hays was united in marriage witli Miss 
Norah Gardner, April 26. 1.^74. Mrs. II. is a na- 
tive of Iowa, and a daugiiter of Alexander and 
Margaret (Miller) G.ardner, who were n.atives of 
Indiana, and are at present residing in Ness Count}', 
Kan. Of this marriage there were born seven 
children, five living: Irre E., Delia M.. Ida O., Otto §[ 
and Lulu M ; Charles B. and an infant are de- 
ceased. 

Politically Mr. Hays is an ardent Republican. 
Himself and wife are members of the United 
Brethren Church. He has traveled to a consider- 
able extent over the \Yestern States and Territories, 
but has found no place suiting him as well in .all 
respects as Iowa, and is now content to pass the re- 
mainder of his days in this beautiful country. His 
home farm consists of 200 acres of choice land, 
which is in an excellent state of cultivation, with jf } 
improvements i>f a class nuuh lietter than the ^ 
average, lie has completed the construction of ; 



Kl 




R? 









'Brijer'f/Kl' 



'ts;^jdPi-ia' 



IMAIIASKA COUNTY. 



423 



new and capacious barn which is a model in its ar- 
rangement. He foUows mixed farming-, and de- 
votes his attention more particularly to stock-rais- 
ing, rearing a few cattle and selling on an average 
200 hogs a year. He manages his business in- 
telligently and has been very successful in life, lie 
is a man of strict integrity and most htmorable in 
his dealings. His home is a pleasant one, wliere 
friends and neighbors are alwaj's welcome, and 
where is to lie found an abundance of tfoud cheer. 



ISAIAII KRAiS'KEL is the senior member of tlie 
firm of Frankel, Bach & Co., bankers, on the 
north side of the Square in Oskaloosa, also a 
member of the firm of I. Frankel & Co., clothiers, 
immediately adjoining the bank on the east. lie 
is a native of .Southern Germanj', and was born 
Oct. 14, iy;32. He received a common-school ed- 
ucation in the old countrj', and when fourteen 
years of age apprenticed himself for two years and 
learned the trade of cigar-making. At the age of 
sixteen he was engaged as clerk in a mercantile 
house, where he remained until he reached liis ma- 
turitj', when he came to the United States and 
opened a dry-goods and clothing house at New 
Washington, Clark Co., Ind., continuing business 
in that place for three years, thence removing to 
Marion, and to Macon County, Mo., where he 
opened a general store, in company with Immannel 
Bach. Four years later thej- came to Iowa, and in 
the spring of 1861 opened a small clothing store 
on the east side of the Public Square of this city, 
in a frame building occupying a portion of the 
present site of the court-house. Some time after- 
ward they moved their location to the north side 
of the Square and two doors east of the present 
elegant building occupied l)y this firm, and in 18C9 
moved to the west side of the Square, having pur- 
chased the building and ground immediately north 
of the alle3-, now occupied by the Singer Sewing 
Machine Company and other parties. In 1873 Mr. 
Frankel established a private bank, under the firm 
name and stylo of Frankel, Jiacli iV Co., at his lo- 
cation on the west side, continuing in business 
there until ISTC. wlioii lIu'V rcmovod to their pre.-- 






ent elegant quarters in Centennial Block, having a 
tloorage of 20x70 feet on the ground lloor. witli 
the upper story fitted up for ollices. 

In two respects Mr. Frankel and his active part- 
ner, Mr. Bach, are pioneers in business. Their 
clothing establishment is the oldest in the city, car- 
ries a large and well-selected stock, and makes a 
specialty of fine clothing; they also carry a full 
line of gents* furnishing goods, hats and cajjs. As 
bankers theirs is the oldest established bank in the 
county, and is possessed of ample capital to supply 
the wants of their patrons. For twenty years they 
have been the leading wool-buyers of this section 
of the State, their annual purchases of this product 
averaging 1;50,000 pounds. The firm have also 
had a branch clothing-house for the last fourteen 
years at Mason City, Iowa, managed by Mr. P. P. 
Himmelreich. The firm have been continuously as- 
sociated in business for the past twenty-seven years, 
and from a small begiiming, with limited means, 
have built up a large l>usiucss and established a 
business standing second to no other house in tlip 
county. 

Isaiah Frankel was married in Davcni)ort, Iowa. 
.Ian 20, 18G4, to Babetta Slienrman, a native of 
(Germany. Mrs. Frankel was boin in 1S40, and bj^ 
her union with our suliject has become the mcjther 
of six children, all living: Auselm, b(jrn Dec. 7, 
1864, is cashier in his father's Ijank; Manasseh, born 
Sept. 22, 1866, is salesman in the dr^-goods de- 
partment of Baldanf Bros., of Oskaloosa; Nathan, 
born Oct. 18, 1868, is salesman with I. Frankel ik 
Co.; Henrietta, born Nov. 6, 1.S70; Hosa, Dec. 18, 
1873, and Henry, May 2S1, 18,si. 

Politically Mr. Frankel is a Democrat, a leading 
member of the party, and takes an .active interest 
in city, county and State elections. He is the old- 
est member of the City Council, and has been 
elected four successive terms from the Second 
Ward, being a leading and valiie(l member of that 
l)ody. He is a member of the Masonic and Odd 
Fellow societies. Mr. Frankel owns about 14(; 
acres of land six miles northwest of the city, whirli 
is known as Cataljia Ridge Fine Sloek Farm, upon 
which he has a herd of twenty-live thoroughbred 
Short-horn cattle, and several head of high grade: 
IK- also raises N'orni:iii ;nid ('l\-cle.>d;de horses. :iMd 




,|fej 



r 



i[B^H[~"~J5' 



K 







iLixi_i_t£rc» 



424 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



"J^ff*" 






is making this business as much a success as he has 
an)- and all tho other enterprises in which he is en- 
gaged. 

Ml'. Frankel has been very successfnl in life, and 
that because he possesses the elements that have 
contributed to that end in an unusual degree. He 
has been a student of the problems of finance and 
trade, and a close observer of events for many 
years, and evinces unusual sagacity and foresight 
in the management of his business affairs. As a 
banker he is conservative and absolutely safe and 
reliable. As a business man he never makes or 
permits a misrepresentation in any particular. 
Among the mau}^ private banks of the State none 
are rated higher in commerinal reports than the 
one of which he is the managing head, and as an 
able financier he has established a reputation second 
to none. He is a ver^- public-spirited citizen, and 
always contributes by his influence and means to 
any and all enterprises tending to advance the in- 
terests of his city and count}', and enjoj's the full 
confidence and highest esteem of his fellow-citi- 
zens. 



years, surrounded by the comforts of life, can 
look back with pleasure, unmixed witii regret, and 
contemplate the struggles of their early days as a 
school of experience, valuable in the lessons of self- 
denial it taught to every pioneer. It is a pleasant 
reflection that one can scan their list of acquaint- 
ances, made after a third of a century of residence 
in one locality, and find them all friends, whose 
confidence and esteem thev enjoy. 



ylLLIAM M. LEIGHTON, 
of the Herald Printing Con 
^ ^ has been connected with till 



7AME.S SAMUELS, who h.as a comfortalile 
home in Richland Township, came to Iowa 
in 1844, locating at once in this township, 
and ranks as one of the earliest settlers and 
pioneers of this portion of the county. He was | 
born in Harrison County, Ind., Oct. 26, 1S24, re- | 
ceived a common-school education, and arriving at 
years of manhood was united in marriage with Miss 
Clementine Pettj', Oct. l.j, 1.S50. They became 
the parents of five children, as follows: Emily .1.. 
the wife of J. C. Boyd ; (iilliert D., and Eldora, the 
wife of William Lawrence, are residents of Rich- 
land Township; Lucy J. is at home with her par- 
ents; Tabitha is deceased. 

Mrs. Samuels is a member of the Christian 
Church, and .Mr. S. belongs to the Republican 
party. The homestead of our subject consists of 
fortj' acres, in ginid cultivation and well improved, 
with a comfortable house and necessary out-build- 
ings. Like other early settlers of this county. Mi. 
.Samuels and his wife endured the privations and 
hardships of pioneer life and now, in their declining 



^;ILLIAM M. LEIGHTON, junior member 

ompany, Oskaloosa, 
be otflce as appren- 
tice, foreman, and partner, for the jiast seventeen 
years. He is a native Hawke^'e, and was born in 
Oskaloosa, Jail, l.s, 1,S.5(), his parents being Tobias 
and Harriet A. Leighton, who are numbered among 
the pioneers of ^lahaska County. 

William M. Leighton was married in Oskaloosa, 
educated in the common schools, and in 1870 en- 
tered the Ikrald office as an apprentice. He servcil 
his time and liecame a practical job printer. In 
1877 he ]iurchased an interest in the office, and yet 
retains the same. In the division of the work of 
the olHce he was made foreman of the job depart- 
ment, and the success with which it has been man- 
aged is proof of his ability in that direction. The 
class of vvork turned out by the office is proof, too, 
that he is a tasteful, as well as a practical job 
printer. In the job room he is at home. Politically 
he is a Republican. Fraternally he is a Mason. 



El 
"1 
\ 
I 
I 
1 



15 



•XJ^tJ2/©ig^ 



t^^^/THmt" 



aHARLES A. CRONEY is a .Justice of the 
Peace, residing and holding office in ()ska- 
loosa. He is a native of Ohio, and was born 
Feb.. 22, 1840, in London. Madison Co.. Ohio. His 
father. John B. Croney, was a native of \'irginia, 
lioiii .March .'», 1797, and died in Ohio, Aug. 31, 
lsf4. His mother, Lydia S. (Jones) Cronej-, was 
a native of Tennessee, her birth taking pl.ace April 
8, 1804. .She died in Lincoln, ^'eb.. .Sept. 26, 1871. 
They both emigrated from their respective .States 







- 




1 


■u; 






^ 


















t'l 






1 






i^- 
























11"- 






1 
























i:= 


















Kj- 






55 






Si 






'*l 




1 


^ 






J^ 




■ 


!£ 




'1 


»-. 












m 


hi 






^Hf-'r^^'^^ 



II 
1 

11 

i; 
i: 
i; 




^^S 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



425 



to Ohio at a very early day, and wcie llieic mar- 
ried March 22. Iis2!i. and reared a faniih' of stMeii 
children, of whom Charles was tiie sixth. 

Up to liis fourteenth year liie subject of lliis 
sketch had the benefit of tiie common sciiools of liis 
native State. He then entered a printiiig-ollice, 
worked one year, and in liSoo came to Maliaska 
County, Iowa. Some time durint; tiie followinsr 
year he commenced work in the Herald oHice, 
where he finished learning his trade. He then en- 
tered the law ollice of .ludge Crookhain. and, after 
a course of reading, was admitted to the bar in 
February, I.sOl. At this time the war clouds were 
hovering over the country, and soon after the 
storm broke forth. Ft. Sumter was fired u(jon, a 
call was issued l)v President Lincoln for 75,000 
men, which was quickl3- followed by another for 
300,000 more. Companies and regiments were 
quickly formed all over the North, and in the first 
company from Maliaska Count\- Charles Croney was 
enrolled. This company became Co. H, 3d Iowa 
Vol. Inf. It left Oskaloosa May 30, lt<Gl,amid 
tearful farewells and the heart}' wish that God 
would bless each and every member, and bring 
them safe home again. The regiment went out, 
and its history is part of the history of the war. 
Some of the brave men of which it was composed 
now sleep upon Southern battle-fields; some re- 
turned broken in healtli, and have since passed on 
to join their comrades. A few j-et remain. One 
of these is the subject of this sketch, who did his 
dnt}' faithfully-, and was discharged with the regi- 

|meut at the expiration of its date of service, in 
June, 18G4. 

p Returning to Oskaloosa in poor healtli Mr. Cro- 
ney went upon the road as a commercial traveler, 
and in that business and journalism his life was 
spent up to the fall of 1886, when he was elected 
Justice of the Peace, without opposition, entering 
upon the discharge of the duties of the office Jan. 
1, 1887. In this case the office sought after the 
man, and not the man the office. He was brought 
forward by friends, who not only secured his nom- 
ination, but did all the work of the campaign aft- 
erward. 

Charles A. Croney and Ainaiida .1. Salislmry 
were united in marriage May 3, 1800, and l<.) them 



six children have lieen born, of whom but one is 
living — Jessie Gail, born .Ian. 11. 1877. Mrs. Cro- 
ney is a native of Indiana, and a daughter of 
George and .Mar\- Salisbury, the former a native of 
Kentucky, and the latter of Ohio. She is a mem- 
ber of the Jletliodist Episcopal Church. 

Politically Mr. Croney is a Republican. •• of the 
strictest sect of our religion." He believes strouglj- 
in the principles of the party, and does not hesi- 
tate to defend them when necessaiy. In his jour- 
nali-tic work in times past, he ha^ struck some 
sturdy- l)lo\\> in its defense. As a writer, he is 
graphic and spcak> to the point, using the King's 
Knglish in a forcible, though pleasant manner. As 
a citizen he is well known and universally' esteemed, 
not only among hi.s political friends, but political 
enemies as well. All think well of •• Charley " Cro- 
ney, as is evidenced from the fact that he had no 
opiiosition to his election as Justice of the Peace. 
Fraternall}' he is a Mason, and has reached the de- 
gree of Knights Templar, being a member of De 
Payens Commandery, Oskaloosa. 




ORACE LVMAN, one of the pioneers of 
Iowa, who settled in \'an Bureu County 
in 1839, is now a resident on section 17, 
Jefferson Township. He was born in 1813 
in Ontario County, N. Y., and is a son of Abner 
and Tabitha (Brown) Lyman, natives of Massachu- 
setts. When Horace was about five years of age 
his parents moved to Kentucky, where he was 
reared on a farm. In |S2U he went to Licking 
County, Ohio, where he lived until l.s39, engaged 
in farming. He then moved to \'an IJureii County, 
Iowa, and there lived until the spring of 1843, 
when he moved to Marion County, lowa. In 18G5 
he came to Mahaska Count\' and settled upon his 
present farm. On this and adjoining sections he 
purchased in all 965 acres of land, and built a saw- 
mill in about 1844 acro.ss the line on main Cedar 
Creek, in Marion County. 

Mr. Lyman was united in marriage with Lucy 
demons, a native of Licking County, Ohio, [n 
1837. Ten children were born unto them: Lowtia, 
who died in 1859; John, now engaged in fai-ming 






Sei 



IS 



im 



- n^ 



c-cc:.«tii 



,&4i^^ 






I T^-»i-»>»nrT-rrTiT i 



'ir 



426 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



in Nebraska; Henry, who enlisted in Co. D, 36th 
Iowa Vol. Inf., and died while in the service; Hor- 
ace M., a member of the same company, was killed 
at Mark's Mills. Ark. ; Abner, also a member of the 
same company and regiment, was starved to death 
in rebel prisons ; Buck died in Leadville in 1884; 
Arza is living in Monroe County, Iowa; Martha is 
the wife of A. Johnson, of Monroe County ; Mary, 
Mrs. Emmet demons, lives in Buena Yista County, 
Iowa; Lucy, the wife of Frank Pack, in Marion 
County. Mrs. Lyman was born in 1819, and died 
Nov. 25, 1858. The second wife of Mr. Lyman 
was Ruth Lucas, to whom he was married in 1859. 
They iiave one son, All)ert, who lives at home. 

iMr. L3'man is a member of the I. 0. O. F., and 
in politics is a Republican. He began life a poor 
boy, and all that he now possesses was acquired by 
his own industry and perseverance. He has ful- 
filled all the oliligations of a good citizen, and en- 
J03'S the esteem and confidence of hosts of friends. 



^f^M^^^S^ 



I^M ANOAH HEDGE, Superintendent of Pub- 
Jf/ III lie Schools of Mahaska County, was born 
J li> in Coshocton County, Ohio. June 22, 1846. 
'* He is a son of George M. and Belinda 

(Atkinson) Hedge, who were natives of Gnernsej' 
County, Ohio, where they were born in 1816, and 
where they were married. Of a family of eleven 
children, eight have lived to be men and women : 
Anderson, a farmer of Red Cloud, Neb. ; Aaron en- 
listed in the 51st Ohio Regiment, but died of dis- 
ease contracted in the service soon after returning 
home; Sarah A. is the wife of O. A. Mulvane, pho- 
togiapher, of Newman, Douglas Co., 111. ; Manoah, 
our subject; Porter is an attorney at law at Lincoln, 
Neb. ; Belle is the wife of Richard Charles, a farmer 
near Prairie City, Iowa; Oliver P. is a grocer at 
Oskaloosa; Violet is the wife of E. H. Calkins, 
foreman of a printing-office in St. Louis, Mo. In 
1865 the father moved with his family to Wapello 
Count}-, Iowa, locating at P^ddyville, and in 1872 
I'emoved to Oskaloosa, his present home. 

Politically Mr. Hedge is a Republican^ and is an 
enthusiastic friend and worker in the cause of edu- 
cation. It was the single ambition and aim of both 



father and mother to give their children a good 
jjractical education that would qualify them for use- 
ful citizenship, and in this particular thej' succeeded 
admirably. Both are devoted members of the 
Christian Church and have served the Lord for 
many 3'ears. 

Manoah Hedge completed his education at Oska- 
loosa College. He began teaching when nineteen 
years of age and has followed that avocation for 
twenty years. During 1878-79-80, he was Prin- 
cipal of the High School at Beacon, Iowa. In 
the fall of 1880 he was employed at Prairie City, 
Iowa, as Principal of the schools for two years. He 
was then engaged as Principal of the Fourth Ward 
school in Oskaloosa until the fall of 1885, when he 
was elected to his present position. 

Supt. Hedge was married, Feb. 20, 1877, at Chil- 
licothe, Mo., to Miss Laura Skaggs, who was born 
and reared in that State. Having been left without 
father or mother the latter pai't of her life, she had 
learned to depend upon her own resources for her 
support and education. Of the children born to 
our subject and his wife, two are living, Violet and 
Laura. Mr. and Mrs. Hedge are leading and influ- 
ential members of the Christian Church of Oska- 
loosa. Mr. Hedge stands in the front rank of suc- 
cessful workers in the cause of education, and his 
continual advancement is the result of re.al merit 
and not of circumstances. In addition to the du- 
ties of his present office he is also editor of the 
educational deijartment of the Oskaloosa Weekly 
Herald. 

OHN C. TUCKER, of Monroe Township, is 
a son of James H. and Margaret (Sterling) 
Tucker, and was born in Owen Countj', Ky., 
Nov. la, 1824. His father died in 1857, and 
his mother in 1885. He came to Iowa in 1839, lo- 
cated in Louisa County, near Muscatine, resided 
there until 1857, and then came to this county and 
settled in Monroe Township. He was united in 
marriage with Miss Delia Williams, a native of i 
Indiana, Aug. 9, 1854. After a short period of j 
happy married life she died, Oct. 7, 1855. He was 
again married, April 23, 1857, to Miss Margaret 
Edmondson, a native of Tennessee. By this mar- 




l.'iiiiixiCtI 




MAHASKA COUNTY. 




If J 



riage tliero have been two children, one who died 
in infancy, and David C, at home. Mr. Tucker is 
a member (jf the Masonic fraternity, and alliliated 
with Universe Lodoe No. 212, A. ]•". it A. M., in 
What Cheer. Politically he is a nicnil)er of the 
Democratic party, and wliiic lie li\cd in Louisa 
Coiintj', was elected Treasurer and Kecorder. Dur- 
ing the late Rebellion Mr. Tucker eidisted in Co. 
C, 40th Iowa \n\. Int., serving tlnce years and one 
month, and jjarticipating in all the cngagcnienls in 
which his regiment took'part, ac(iiiitting himself as 
a brave soldier. 

The present home of our subject consists of 140 
acres of tirst-class land, all in an excellent state of 
ciiltiv.ation and well improved. Ever since coming 
to Mahaska County he has jmicticed law in thelowei' 
courts, and has invariabl}' refused the olKces that 
from time to time have been tendered him. He is 
.a man of more than average abilit}^ in every waj'; 
well posted upon current events, and able to ex- 
press himself in an intelligent, forcible manner upon 
general questions. His record is a good one, both 
in civil and military life, and he enjoys in an un- 
usual degree the confldeuce and esteem of his fel- 
low-citizens. 



-{>- 



^l--fe^- 



\17 AUREN B. BERRY was born in Richland 
I (^ Township, this county, Feb. 18, is.')(j, and 
jlL^ is a son of those honored pioneers, William 
and Nanc}- (Johnson) Berry, whose biography ap- 
pears elsewhere in this book. He was reared upon 
the farm and educated in the common schools. 
After reaching manhood he was married, in 1877, to 
Miss Pi'udence A. (Jriinden, who was born in Mer- 
cer County', Ohio, Nov. 2, 18iJ7,and is a daughter 
of Thomas and Margaret C. Grunden. Of this un- 
ion there have been born two cliildrcii — Kllicrt M. 
and Joseph C. 

The homestead of our subject is located on sec- 
tion 11 of Richland 'I'ownship, where he owns 107 
acres of excellent land, all uniler tine cultivation 
and thoroughly improved. Mr. Berrj' comes of 
good stock and, like his father before him, is an up- 
right nijiii in all respects, and one who enjoys the 



confidence and esteem of friends not n few. As a 
liusiness man and ;i citizen he is fidfilling his obli- 
gations in a creditable manner, and politically casts 
his vote with the Ri-pnlilican pai-ty. 



■^J-^E^^ 



-tfi-i — 




^\ AMUEL JACKSON, pleasantly located on 
section 2, in Des .Moines Township, is a na- 
tive of Ireland, born in 1840, and a son of 
.losepii an<l Belle (Bradley) Jackson, both 
natives of the same country. In 1841 the parents 
of our subject came to America and located in Ot- 
tawa, Canada, where Samuel was reared and where 
ho resided until twenty-one years of age, when he 
commenced sailing on the lakes, and followed this 
for seven years. He then went to Monroe Count}', 
HI., where he was married. Jan. 15, 1807, to Miss 
Sarflh Isabel Waddell, a native of that count}' and 
State, and daughter of Stephen Waddell. Eight 
children have been the result of this union, seven 
of whom are now living: Anna Luella, born Jan. 
24, 18G8; Josepli Stephen, Jan. 13, 1872; James 
Edward, Jan. 13, 187.'); Andrew, Dec. 21), 1877; 
Ida, April 17, 1879; Ernest, Feb. 13, 1881 ; Grover 
Cleveland, May 9, 1884; Nancy Belle w.as born 
July 11, 1870, and died in August, 1871. 

In 1868 Mr. Jackson came to Oskaloosa, Iowa, 
and engaged four months in working on the railroad, 
when he moved to a farm four miles south of Os- 
kaloosa. After three months he engaged in rail- 
roading at Leighton, and thence went to Union 
County, Iowa, where he also remained but a short 
time, and then returned to the farm south of Oska- 
loosa, where he lived ten months. He then pur- 
chased five acres of Land in Des .Aloincs Township, 
to which he moved, and on which he lived until 
1 875, when he bought forty acres of land on sec- 
tion 2, and built a house, where he still resides, en- 
gaged in farming. He now owns 120 acres of land, 
all of which is well improved. Mr. Jackson is a 
member of the I. O. O. F., and also of the K. of P. 
In politics he is a Greenb.acker, and has been Town- 
ship Trustee. 

The paternal grandfather of Mr. Jackson was a 
civil engineer, and was for some time in the Gov- 



■|3S 



Mm 



tm 



I ■ J txixxm * 1X1 tixjxj nx I 



1 XliXXlXl I iTxn il' 



'""fftiT" 



-i naiw .- 



:'^S^ 




428 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 




ernment employ in Ireland. His father died in 
184-2. and his mother in the winter of 1863. No 
man enjoys the respect and confidence of his friends 
and neighlxirs to a higher degree than docs ^Ir. 
.Jackson. 



WILLIAM BURNSIDE, a prominent citizen 
and successful business man of Oskaloosa, is 
an extensive dealer in lumber, lath, shin- 
gles, doors, sash, blinds and moldings, being the 
successor of A. Taylor & Co., who established the 
business in 1883, and which the subject of our 
sketch purchased two years later. Mr. Burnside is 
a pioneer citizen of the Ilawkeye State, coming 
here with his parents as early as 1845, when but a 
child of three years old. He is a native of Guern- 
sey County, Ohio, and was born June 4, 1842. 
His parents were James and Mary (Wilkin) Burn- 
side, who carefully trained their son and gave him 
an academic and collegiate education. 

Our subject was about to enter upon his future 
career when the outbreak of the late Civil War 
changed his plans and prospects materially. These 
he laid aside for sterner duties, and enlisted as a 
private in September, 1.S62, in Co. A, 2.5th Iowa 
Vol. Inf., in which he was promoted Sergeant, and 
occupied this position for eleven months. He was 
then commissioned Second Lieutenant in Company 
I, 51st Regiment, with which he remained until 
January, 1864, and was promoted to the rank of 
First Lieutenant about a year later. He engaged 
with his regiment in the battles of Hams' Bluff, Ar- 
kansas Post, and in the battles from Grand Gulf to 
Vicksburg, including the siege and capture of the 
latter. He was also in the ranks at the second bat- 
tle of Jackson, Miss., and in various otlier minor 
gCinents and skirmishes, winding up with the 

ine days at Bl.akely, opposite Mobile, Ala., where 

as fought the last battle of the war. 
After his honorable discharge from the military 
service, Mr. Burnside returned to Washington 
County, Iowa, and for a few months engaged in 

irming pursuits. He was not satisfied, however, 
ith the extent of his mental culture, and pro- 

eecled to Monmouth, 111., to enter upon a course 
study at Monmouth College. He pursued his 



engag 



studies in this institution for the space of eight 
months, and then going South, located in Alabama, 
and operated a turpentine grove one season, near 
Mobile. The following spring he returned North, 
and locating in Galesburg, 111., entered upon a 
course of studj' in the commercial college of that 
city, giving his especial attention to the pursuance 
of a law course. He then purchased the only set 
of abstracts of Mahaska County, and engaged in 
real estate and brokerage, in which he was engaged 
until 1876, when, on account of impaired health, 
he sold his abstract business but retained the real 
estate. In the course of three j'ears, his health 
having become wholly recovered, he engaged in 
the live-stock business, making a specialty of horses, 
shipping about 200 in a year. He was thus occu- 
pied for the following five years, when he pur- 
chased his present business, at which he has been 
engaged for the last seven years. His strictly hon- 
orable and upright course has secured for him hosts 
of friends and patrons, and his transactions extend 
all over the State of Iowa. 

The marriage of W^illiam Burnside and Miss Han- 
nah A. Henderson was celebrated on Christmas 
Day, in 1868, in Washington, Iowa. Mrs. Burn- 
side is a daughter of J. A. and E. A. Henderson, 
and was born in Guernsey County, Ohio. Of their 
union there have been born seven children, as fol- 
lows: Ralph H., Charles IL, Mary H., Harry H. 
(who died in infancy), John H., Lizzie H. and 
Maggie H. Mr. and Mrs. Burnside and their three 
eldest children are earnest and consistent members 
of the United Brethren Church. Mr. Burnside has 
been a member of the School Board of Oskaloosa 
for five j'cars, and in polities he affiliates with the 
Democratic party. 



^ LIVER G. KNEUDSON, one of the intelli- 
gent and prosperous farmers of Mahaska 
^^f' County, resides on section 15, Prairie Town- 
ship. He was born in Norway, Jan. 1, 1842, and 
is the son of G under and Bertha Kneudson. In 
1858 the family emigrated to the United States, lo- 
cating for three years at Salem, Henry Co., Iowa, 
and in 1861 came to Mahaska Conntj-, and settled 






r-1 

£i 

El 
n . 

El 
£1 

£1 
El 

ll 

^-1 




^i^ f^i!«^ 




sJ. y/^^^A^^ 



i 






r 



n ;ll-l-IlXl-rfi iJLLiL±xj ^ ix±x a n:mM ■ !■■■■ frrxo ] I 

:-~U -.;;;:, ,;: ft p .-..; ;:::^ ;J ;;t ?; :.'.' JJjr-7rrrr::1 

trr^»irMTTiTr'trTlUrTTT»r B-«tr»-L rTl3rxxrgrT.I 



iBQi^^^^HH 






P 



i 

I at 

US 



i 



MA11A8KA COUNTY. 



^! 



uear New Sharon, where the father died in 1884. 
His widow is still living. There were eight chil- 
dren in the family : Kneud resides in Hamilton 
County, this State; Bertha is the wife of Eric Os- 
vog, and lives in Story C<junty; Osmond is de- 
ceased ; Mary is the wife of Iver Larson, of Prairie 
Township; Christine, the wife of Thomas I. Thom- 
son; Rebecca, Mrs. Ira Kneudson, :uid Christopher 
live in Hamilton Count}". 

During the late war, the subject of this sketch, 
in 18(j3, enlisted as a soldier of the Union in Co. 
C, 7th Iowa Vol. Inf., and served until the close. 
He participated in the battles of Lay's Ferry, Ga., 
Kennesaw Mountain, the siege of Atlanta, and nu- 
merous other battles and skirmishes, in one of 
which he was severe!}' wounded in the arm, dis- 
abling him for two months. After the war he re- 
turned to Mahaska County, where he has since re- 
mained, with the exception of one \'ear, which he 
spent in La Salle County, 111. 

In 1809 Mr. Kneudson was married to Miss Ber- 
tha .Sawyer, a native of Wisconsin, and to them 
seven children have been born — Gunder S., Sarah 
A., Belinda, Matthias, Burton, Rebecca and 
Thomas B. The home farm consists of 120 acres 
of good land, all in an excellent state of cultiva- 
tion and well improved. The buildings are of the 
better class, as indeed are all the improvements 
about the place. Mr. K. is an active, industrious 
man, manages well, has been reasonablj- successful 
in life, and stands high in the esteem of his friends 
and acquaintances. Politically he usually votes the 
Republican ticket. 



I^^A AMUEL \V. .lONES, an energetic, enter- 

^^^ prising and successful farmer, of Garfield 

IvL^-JP Township, was born in Guenisey, Noble 

Co., Ohio, Nov. 2.3, 183G, being a son of 

Thomas and Sarah (Robinson) Jones, natives of 

Fayette County, Pa., but who settled in Ohio 

among the earlj- pioneers of that State, clearing 

away the heavj' timber and opening up a farm. 

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Jo!ies were the parents of 

twelve children, six of whom are living: William 

L.. of Holly Springs, Miss.; James, a farmer, re- 





siding near Oskaloosa; John, living on the old 
homestead in Noble County, Ohio; .Sarah, wife of 
Joshua Dougl.as, deceased, of Noble County, Ohio; 
Samuel W., of this sketch; Elizabeth, wife of James 
W. Finley, of this county. Mrs. Sarah R. Jones 
died in about the year 184(), and Thom.is Jones in[i 
18(;0. They were both lifelong members of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, were earnest Chris- 
tian people, and highly regarded in the community 
where they resided. Mr. Jones was an indefatiga- 
ble reader, and kept himself well informed upon 
all public matters. Politically he was an old-line 
Whig, but joined the Republican party on its or- 
ganization in 1856. 

The subject of this sketch was reared in Noble 
Count}^ Ohio, receiving his education in the com- 
mon schools. He worked upon the farm until he 
reached the age of manhood, and in the summer of 
1861 enlisted in the 78th Ohio Infantry, going with 
his company to the regimental encampment, but 
was rejected by the examining surgeon. He sub- 
sequenth' joined the Ohio militia, and assisted in 
the capture of Gen. Morgan, who made his famous 
raid through that State. While a member of tlie 
Stiite Militia, some rebel sj'mpathizers in the village 
of Mt. Ephraim, Ohio, raised a pole, on which they 
hoisted a Confederate flag, threatening with death 
anyone who would dare molest it. A lady re- 
marked to Mr. Jones, "If I were a man that rebel 
flag would not fl_v there." He asked if she could 
furnish him with an ax. She replied that she 
could, and handed him one. Mr. Jones, assisted 
b}^ a comrade, cut down the pole, but for some 
cause the rebels failed to carry out their threats. 

In 1864 Mr. Jones came to Mahaska County, 
and engaged in farming near Beacon, where he had 
purchased 200 acres of land, wiiich he retained and 
cultivated till the fall of 1883. He then sold the 
same to the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad 
Companj^ for a handsome sum, it being underlaid 
with coal. 

Mr. Jones was niai-ried in Knox Count}-, near 
Mt. Vernon, Ohio, in 1859, to Miss Elizabeth A. 
Phillips, a daughter of Willis and Elizabeth Phil- 
lips. She was liorn in that county in 1836, and 
died in Ohio in 1872. He was again married, to 
Naomi C. Shaw, a daughter of Joseph and Hila 




m' 



txg a «jTijx« riJ i ttaj g mro 



■ •%»>iT*r«g^K»»»»» rw w rr rji'tirT-ni 




m 



I 



m 
m 



I 



Hi) 



432 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



Shaw, who were amung the very earliest settlers of 
this fomitv, coniiiig to the Stale in l.s4(1, and set- 
tling in ^lahaslvn County in 1H48. (See sl<etch of 
Joseph Shaw.) 

Mr. Jones is at i)resent residing two miles from 
Oskaloosa, where he owns 100 acres of land, under 
a high state of cnltivation.and which would re.adily 
sell for $100 per acre. Mr. Jones is a Knight 
Templar in the Masonic fraternity; Mrs. Jones is a 
member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

The best evidence of a man's financial ability is 
the success which he achieves in business. Judging 
Mr. Jones by this standard, we have only to view 
his beautiful farm and observe the system witli 
which it is conducted, and the results of his man- 
agement. Politically he is a Republican, and an 
active and influential member of his party, in the 
success of which he evinces a deep interest. 

As a representative and highly esteemed citizen 
of the county we are pleased to present the portrait 
of Mr. Jones elsewhere in this volume. 



^ €-*^- 



-fe 



"^ AMES A. SPRAGUE, possessor of a finely 
cultivated and valuable farm in Jefferson 
Township, is a native of the Bucl;eye State, 
(^^ born in Washington County, Jan. 4, ISod. 
He is the son of Joseph and Henrietta (Laughrey) 
Sprague, who were also natives of Ohio. His father 
died Aug. 25, 1885. His mother is still living, 
and resides with a daughter in Nebraska. 

The subject of this sketch came to Iowa in 1871), 
located in Oskaloosa, and engaged for a time in 
the music business. He then removed to Albia, 
Monroe County', purcliased property, and remained 
there one year, thence went to Indianola, and en- 
gaged in the music business there for one year. 
Afterward he returned to JIahaska County, and 
purchased his present farm of 160 acres. 

Mr. Sprague was united in marriage with Miss 
Lizzie M. Moore. Dec. 1, 1880. Mrs. S. is a daugh- 
ter of Samson and Margaret Moore, who were na- 
tives of Ireland. B}' tliis marriage there has been 
one child, Ernest J., born March G, 1882. 

Mr. Sprague is an active, intelligent Republican, 
giving his entire political influence to the support 





-=sa 



of his party, and is a member of the Masonic fra- 
ternity. His home farm is a fine bodj' of land, 
well cultivated, and with the best class of improve- 
ments. In addition to general farming he is mak- 
ing a specialty of breeding Norman horses, and 
raising thoroughbred Short-horn cattle. His col- 
lection of animals embraces some of the best grades 
in the county, and while he gives particular atten- 
tion to purity of blood and character of pedigree, 
he shows by the care bestowed upon his herd that 
he thoroughly understands his business. In this as 
in <.ither departments oi the farm his intelligence 
and ability are duly recognized, and, being straight- 
forward in liis business methods, and prompt to 
meet his obligations, he enjoj's the confidence of 
his many friends and associates in a marked de- 
gree. 

OBERT BASS resides upon section 31, Mon- 
roe Township, and is numbered among the 
earliest settlers of Mahaska County. He is 
^)the son of W. L. and Margaret (Roberts) 
Bass, and was born in Boone County, Kj'., Ma}' 9, 
1827. The family moved to Indiana when Robert 
was but a year old, where the}' remained till 184.3. 
They then came to Iowa and located in Xan Buren 
County, whence in 1847, they came to Mahaska 
Count}', where the mother died in 1883 and the 
father in 1885. 

Robert Bass, the subject of this sketch, was 
reared upon a farm, receiving his education in the 
pioneer schools of Indiana and Iowa. He came to 
Mahaska County in 1845, some two j'ears before 
his parents, and for almost half a century has been 
an honored citizen here. Mr. Bass has been twice 
married. His first wife was Miss Mary A. Roberts, 
a daughter of James L. and Rebecca (Coulson) 
Roberts. Of this union there are four children : 
Rosa R., the wife of W. E. Stringer, and John A. 
are residents of Kansas; Eldora and Eva are de- 
ceased. The mother of these children died in 
1863. The second wife of our subject was Miss 
Martha Allgood, a native of Indiana, born in 1838. 
They were united in marriage July 4, 1865, and be- 
came the parents of seven children — Mary, Charley, 
Frank, Nellie (deceased). Robert, Agnes and Paul. 



5! 

I fTTTTTTriiMimiJXiiM «- 



.1 



i 




'■■^: 




3:: 



i 



13 

I 



I 

i 



V 

1 
\i 

Iri 
IS 

u 

IS 

i: 



I 
1 

1 



!^ 



Is! 

I": 

I 
ii 

ir: 

i-i: 



J 



1.: 

1 : 
V p 
1 'c 
1 ■: 



Ii 



lis 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



483 



The living cliildien l>y his presciit wife reside at 
home. 

Politically .Mr. Hass is a meinlior of the National 
Greenback part^-, and has held the office uf Justice 
of tlie Peace several terms. He came to this coinity 
at the time the lands of the New Purchase were 
placed upon the market, and for a period of six 
3'ears worked by the month for Mr. John White, 
now deceased, receiving for his first year's services, 
wages at the rate of ^8.33^ per month. Those 
were trying times for men, married or single, and 
rigid economy was the order of the da3-. Adapt- 
ing himself to the situation, Mr. Bass worked hard, 
early and late, saved his money and bought land, 
which he cultivated, improved, and added to as his 
means would permit, until he is now the owner of 
480 broad acres, with the best class of improve- 
ments. He has pi-ospered, and his savings are the 
result of tireless industry and excellent manage- 
ment. As a citizen, none enjo}' more f UII3' the con- 
fidence and esteem of their fellow-men, and cer- 
tainly none are more deserving of it than the sub- 
ject of this sketch. 



-?34 



T^ 






©5- 



I. ^ 

1: 



"^^^LMORE CLARK, a resident of Scott Town- 
ship, was born in Warren County, Ind., 

coming in the year 1851 to Mahaslva County 

with his father, R. ^'. Clark, for biographical sketch 
of whom see elsewhere in this volume. He was 
married, .Jan. 22, 1874, to Nancj' J. Fancher, a na- 
tive of Indiana, born May 10, 18.51, and a daugh- 
ter of Dennis and Rebecca (Sloan) Fancher, the 
former a native of Tennessee, and the latter of 
North Carolina. Mr. and Mrs. Clark arc the par- 
ents of four children : Cevila Maud, born Feb. 26, 
1875; Lconi, Aug. 23, 1876; Charles W.. June IS). 
1878, and Louis, April 4, 1880. 

Mr. Clark owns a farm of 120 acres, all under 
fence and well impnived, with a commodious barn 
and comfortable residence thercun. He is engaged 
in general farming, principalh* in the raising of 
swine. He was a member of and served in the 
.State militia of Iowa, at the time when they were 
ordered out to repel a contemplated raid upon the 




•homes of this State by the rebel Gen. Price, of 
Missouri. 

Mr. Clark has been fairly successful in life, reap- 
ing the reward which industry and cai'eful man- 
agement insures in any and every avocation, and 
as a citizen is greatly esteemed bj^ a large circle of 
acquaintances. He has been a lifelong Republican 

ADISON TICE, an extensive land-owner 
of Mahaska County, resides on section 5, 
Black Oak Township. He is a native of 
\irginia, and was born Sept. 28, 1827, be- 
ing a son of Jacob and Jane (Hall) Tice. When 
but six 3^ears of age, his parents removed to what 
is now known as Menard Count}', III. There he 
grew to manhood, and became thoroughly familiar 
with all the duties connected with farming. In 
1847 he came to Iowa, first stopping in Jasper 
County, where he purchased land and resided until 
1852, then came to this county- and settled where 
he now resides. 

In 1855 Ml'. Tice was united in marriage with 
Miss Nancy E. Mays, a native of Ohio, and a 
daughter of Charles and Mary E. Mays. B3' this 
marriage there have been born ten children: The- 
ophilus married Harriet Godb}-; Manella is the 
wife of J. E. Hull; Mary became Mrs. J. W. 
Straughan; ^linnie, Mrs. E. M. Grimes; Louisa, - 
Mrs. Luther Lawj-ence; the balance are, Cora, C. 
G., Hattie, Daniel and Lottie J. 

Mr. Tice. during the Civil War, was a stanch Re- 
publican, and voted with that part}' up to 1876, 
when he east his ballot for Samuel J. Tilden for 
President, and since then has afliliatcd with the 
Democracy. He has at different times held about 
all the various local offices in his township, and is 
a member of the I. O. O. F. 

Mr. Tice owns 563 acres of land, 320 of which 
constitute the home farm, and devotes his entire 
attention to stock farming. His horses and cattle 
are all of high gi'ade. For three 3'ears he bought 
and sold live-stock, which business proved finan- 
cially a great success. In the \'ear 1804 he shipped 
thirteen cars of hogs to Chicago, of which he owned 
a half interest. They were sold in that city at the 



ixjxrirxijT 



If 




xnrarmxi- 



434 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



extraordinaiy price of $13.65 per hundred pounds, 
which is supposed to be the highest price ever paid 
in tliat city for hogs. Mi-. Tice, a model farmer, 
has achieved financial success because of the ability 
with which he has managed his business, and has 
now reached a degree of wealth which enables him 
to live without the fear that the gaunt wolf of 
povei-ty and want will ever cross his threshold. 
He is of that class of citizens most desirable in any 
community, and is widely known and esteemed 
througlioiit tlie county. 



•^-^»t^- 



'<^(«f-" 





HULL, proprietor of one of the 
finest farms in Richland Township, is the 
son of Jacob and Sarah (Thomas) Hull, 
whose biography may be found elsewhere 
in this work. He was born in what is now Taylor 
County, W. ^'a., May 22, 1835, and there grew to 
manhood, receiving a common-school education in 
the meantime, and working with his father on the 
farm and in the tannery. On the 2d of October, 
1850, he was united in marriage with Miss Susan, 
a daughter of Jacob and Sarah Shroyer, and born 
in the same neighborhood as her husband, Dec. 6, 
1836. Mr. and Mrs. Hull became the parents of 
six sons, one of whom, Irvin C.,died in childhood. 
The living are, Justinian E., Albert B., Ulysses G., 
Jacob I), and George L. 

The subject of this sketch, during the late war, 
enlisted Aug. 16, 1862, in Co. H, 12th W. Va. Vol. 
Inf., and serving until June 27, 1865, was honora- 
bly discharged. He participated with his comrades 
in the battles of Winchester, Piedmont, Cedar 
Creek, Perryville, Lynchburg, and Hatches' Run. 
At the siege of Petersburg his regiment occupied 
the principal position in the capture of Ft. Gregg, 
and received a golden eagle to be placed upon their 
flag-staff, inscribed as follows: "Presented to the 
12th West Virginia Infantry for gallant conduct in 
the assault on Ft. Gregg, April 2, 1865." Signed 
by John Gibbon, Major General commanding 24th 
Corps. Mr. Hull was present at Appomattox when 
Lee surrendered the rebel army to Gen. Grant. 
His regiment was a part of the advance guard 



which cut off the rebel reti-eat, and it was his privil- 
ege to witness the meeting of the general officers 
of the two armies to arrange the terms of surrender. 
He also saw Gen. Phil Sheridan on his famous ride 
from Winchester to Cedar Creek. Mr. Hull held 
the rank of Sergeant during his period of enlist- 
ment. 

Following his discharge from military service Mr. 
Hull came at once to Iowa and settled in Richland 
Township, where he had previously purchased 120 
acres of land, unimproved except twenty-four acres. 
His present farm consists of 366 acres of splendid 
land, which he has brought to a very high state of 
cultivation, the imi)rovements of which are scarcely 
excelled in the county. He is engaged in general 
farming and stock-raising, and his present com- 
fortable situation in life gives ample evidence of 
the success that has attended his labors. It is al- 
most unnecessary to say that Mr. Hull is one of the 
leading citizens of his township. The same quali- 
ties that have given him prominence as a leader 
have also established him fully in the confidence and 
esteem of his friends and neighbors. 

Politically Mr. Hull is a member of the National 
Greenback part}', and one of the ablest men hold- 
ing that political belief in this county. He is not 
connected with any religious or secret society. In 
1860 Mr. Hull cast the only vote for the Douglas 
electors in his precinct, as the following official 
statement will show: 

Grafton, W. Va., Sept. 20, 1883. 

The records of my office show that at the election 
held at Knottsville, Taylor Co., W. Va., on the 6th 
of November, 1860. for Presidential Electors, there 
were cast for Bell, forty-three votes ; Breckinridge, 
twelve; Douglas, one; Albert G. Hull, now of 
Mahaska County, Iowa, being the one who voted 
for the Douglas Elector. 

John S. S. Hehr, 

Clerk of the Circuit Court of Taylor Co., W. Va. 



I 



Re 



ME VI STE \VART , a well-known resident of 
Prairie Township, was born in Westmore- 
land County, Pa., Dec. 14, 1828, and is a ; 
son of Alexander and Sina (Hull) Stewart, natives : 
of Pennsylvania. (See their biography in this vol- : 



z^ 



c??-g=?q 




rrTTTTTTnjtxjjm-ij^ ' 



'7:r'r'r'f"r'r''-J 



P3S2S 



SSSSI 



miiz^i 



TrmimmxiAHi 




■ - ^ 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



43.1 






I 



iJ-; 

P 

P 



ume). He removed with his father and mother in 

their joiirneyings to Ohio and Missouri, and came 
with them tu Iowa. Here, in .laniiary, 1853, he was 
married to ^^j^!!''''^'^^' !"■ ■'^t'liilf-y^n native of \'ir- 
giiiia, l)orn near Lynciiburg. The day following' 
his marriage he settled on section 3, where he owned 
IGO acres of land, and yet resides there, being now 
the owner of 200 acres of excellent land, in a high 
state of cultivation, with first-class improvements 
and extra good buildings of all kinds. 

rolitically Mr. Stewart is a Democrat; he lias 
been Township Trustee for eight years, and was the 
first man to fill that position. He is not a member 
of any church or secret society. Mr. Stewart is ex- 
tensively engaged in stock-farming, and is making 
a splendid success of his business. His buildings 
and appurtenances are specially adapted to this Inisi- 
uess. I'ersonally Mr. Stewart is a man wlio thinks 
!ind acts for himself in all matters; he has positive 
convictions, and is equally decided in the utterance 
of his views on all questions, and is well posted on 
the current topics of the time. In his social rela- 
tions with his friends and neighbors, Mr. S. is es- 
teemed .as an honorable, upright m.an, .and one of 
strict integrity'. 



l-Z 




lEV. J. M. BAUGH is Past(n- of the First 
Presbj'terian Church at Oskaloosa. He is 
m\\ a native of Ohio, born in Highland County, 
IpSept. 2.5, 1838. His father. Dr. Waters 
Haugh, was a native of Kentucky, and in his day 
one of the laominent physicians in Ohio. He died 
about 1847; his mother, Jane A. (Barrett) Baugh, 
was a native of Oiiio. Some time after the death 
of his father his mother married Joseph Jones, then 
a leather merchant in liusseilville. Brown Co., 
Ohio, and in 1 849 the famil3- moved to Mah.aska 
County, Iowa, and located on a farm in what is 
now Spring Creek Township, where they remained 
several years, and then moved to Oskaloosa. Mr. 
Jones died in 1877. and .Mrs. Jones in 188;). 

J. M. Baugli, the subject of this sketch, came 
with the family to Maiiaska County, and assisted 
his step-fatiier on the farm till tlie removal of tlio 
family to Oskaloosa, but attended the country <lis- 



trict school when opportunity afforded. On njov- 
ing to this city he attended tlie select school of 
Prof. A. Hull for two years, and then entered a 
college in Washington, Iowa, which was under the 
control of the United Presltyterian Church, where 
he remained two years. He next entered Mon- 
mouth College, !it Monmouth, III., the leading edu- 
cational institution of the United Presbyterian 
Church, where he began the study of divinity, in 
addition to his literary studies. Here he was when 
the first gun was fired in the war of the rebellion, 
and President Lincoln issued his call for 75,000 
men. He returned home and responded to the call. 
but the State's quota ])eing filled, his companj- was 
not accepteil. When the second call was made for 
300,000 more he dropped his books, returned to 
Oskaloosa, assisted in raising a company, which w.as 
made Co. K, 33d Iowa Vol. Inf., and of which Mr. 
Baugh was made Second Lieutenant, but before go- 
ing into active service he was promoted Captain, 
and as such served for two years. In the campaign 
resulting in the capture of Little Rock he was sun- 
struck, which incapiicitated him for active service 
in the field. He was then put on detached service 
at Little Rock and other places, and continued in 
such line of duty till near the close of the war, 
when he resigned and came home. 

While still in the service Mi-. Baugh was granted 
a furlough and sent home with instructions to look 
after certain recruits, and while here, on the 20th 
d.ay of June, 1864, w.as united in marriage with 
Victoria A. Dunbar, a daughter of Col. Butler 
Dunbar, a pioneer in Mahaska' County, and one of 
tiie few men who dared to take a sUmd for what 
tliey believed to be right, and organized the Re- 
publican party in this county. Three daughters 
iiave been born to our subject .and wife — Luna, 
Eva and Bertiia. Tlie first two are graduates of the 
Oskaloosa High Sdiool, the oldest being a musician 
of acknowledged ability, wliile the other has de- 
veloped a talent for painting which h.as secured for 
her words of praise from connoisseurs in the art. 
Tlie youngest is at present in the city schools. 

On returning home from the array, Capl. liaugk 
again entered Monmouth College, and in June, 
IHliti. graduated in the cla.ssicnl cour.se, witli tlie 
degree of Bachelor of Arts, and in llie next year In 



' mmjtmi 





n^ 



mm 




CirM 



;TXTyTtXXH 



' *^»» '>Wir>«;Vrr«»*r» yTTr»Tra 










436 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



If 





the theological course. Before graduation he was 
waiter! upon by a comniittee from the First United 
Presb.yterian Church, of Blooniington, 111., and a 
call extended him to become Pastor of that body. 
He accepted the call, and the first Sunday after 
graduating found him in Blooniington, filling its 
pulpit. He remained here but a short time, when, be- 
lieving there was for him a wider field of usefulness, 
he accepted a call from the First United Presbyter- 
ian Church of Chicago, and moved to that city. In 
Chicago his work was quite successful, and he soon 
built up a large congregation, and in due time a 
new house of worship was erected, and the name of 
the church changed to the United Presbj'terian 
Memorial Church. On removing to the new edifice 
Mr. Baugh introduced into the worship an organ, 
which being contrary to the rules of the church 
government, provoked hostilitj^, the Presbytery 
taking sides against him. Not willing to engage 
in an unprofitable controversy, and believing it 
best for his own good and the good of the cause, 
he resigned the pastorate of the church, obtained 
letters of dismissal from the United Presbyterian 
Presbytery, and united with the Presbyterians. This 
step being made known, he received and accepted a 
call from the North Presb^'teriau Church, of Bloom- 
ington, and returned to that city, preaching there 
the following Sunday after his farewell sermon in 
Chicago. His ministry in Blooniington was both 
pleasant and profitable, but at the expiration of 
five years he accepted a call from the Presbyterian 
CUiurch of Oskaloosa. This call he first declined, and 
it was not finally accepted for about a year. Hav- 
ing passed here his early life, and also entering the 
service from this place, there may have been in his 
heart a yearning for home, and therefore he con- 
cluded to come. Of course, too, there were many 
old army comrades and friends of later years, who 
were desirous of having him once more in Oska- 
loosa. Preaching his farewell sermon in Blooming- 
ton, the next Sunday found him in Oskaloosa, so 
that there was no loss of time. 

Mr. Baugh has now been Pastor of the Presby- 
terian Church at Oskaloosa for eight years, and 
{j year b3' year has grown stronger in the esteem and 
affections of his flock. Not alone has he endeared 
himself to the members of his own church, but to 



the community as well, .ind it is safe to say that no 
Pastor here stands higher in tlic estimation of the 
people. An original thinker, he is not afraid to 
express himself upon any question that divides the 
Christian world, and while subscribing in general 
terms to the doctrinal statements of his church, he 
yet feels free to interpret them as his judgment and 
reason dicate. For ye.ars his study has been .ilong 
the line of science and advanced thought in relig- 
ion. The Old Testament Scriptures he believes to 
consist more in statutes and ordinances, with a few | 
general moral i^rinciples underl3'ing or running ! 
through it, while the New Testament sets forth prin- i 
ciples with few statutes and ordinances. The law i 
of the Old Testament is the school-master that ! 
le.ads to Christ, and having found Him we need few i 
ordinances, while all should try t(j conform their i 
lives to His, and to the spirit and principles of His ; 
teaching. 

As a sermonizer Mr. Baugh excels, his language 
being perfect, while his general style of speaking is 
the conversational, though at times he rises to the 
eloquent. In the nineteen years of his ministry he 
has served as Pastor in but three cities, and in that 
time there has passed no Sal)bath that he has not 
been recognized as such in one or the other of the 
three places. 

^ -^^ ^ 




ARVEY LUCAS resides on section 23, Prai- 
rie Township, and is a well-known citizen. 
He was born in Cortland County, N. Y., 
i^j Dec. "iS, 1826. His father, Simeon Lucas 
was a native of Connecticut, while his mother, Eu- 
nice (Glazier) Lucas, was a native of New York. 
Both died in Cortland County. Harvey Lucas, 
of whom we write, was reared on his father's farm, 
and received a l)etter education than country boys 
usually obtain. In 1850 he took Horace Greelej^'s 
advice and came West, locating near Galesburg, 
Knox Co., 111., where he remained six years, and 
then came to Mahaska County, Iowa, moving to 
his present farm of eighty acres in 1860. 

On the 4th daj' of March, 1857, Mr. Lucas mar- 
ried Izah Bradl)ury. who wm> born May 30, 1837, 



■ .;..r HMTTrtTim iiTi<T»i! Uiiim.il U,ni 



I iirrwHjTiTrJrii 




vyr'r'g 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



437 



in Oxford County', Me., and daughter of Silas C. 
and Lydia (lladle_y) Bradbury, both of whom were 
also natives of that county. Two children have 
been born tn them: Silas H., May 28, 1859, and 
Helen M., Sei)l. 14. 18()4. Mrs. Lucas is a mem- 
ber of the Methodist Eijiscopal Church, and a 
woman who is universally esteemed. 

Mr. Lucas has held the office of Townshii) Clerk 
for six years, and other minor offices for a shorter 
period of time. He follows mixed farming, and 
has been reasonably successful in life. Since coming 
to this county he has taught live terms of school, giv- 
ing satisfaction in everj' instance. Harvey Lucas, 
though not numbered among the earliest settlers, 
has yet lived in Mahaska County for thirty years, 
and in the meantime has witnessed the most impor- 
tant changes that have occurred. At that time the 
county' was verj' thinly settled ; not a mile of rail- 
road had been here built, very few manufacturing 
institutions had been set running; free schools were 
almost unknown, and in fact it was but little bet- 
ter than a wilderness. Now all is changed. Kail- 
roads, telegraph and telephone wires cross almost 
every township, manufacturies are in motion; coal 
mines are being developed, and an air of bustling 
activity prevails. All this he has witnessed, and in 
much of it he has borne a part. As a citizen he 
stands high in the estimation of all. 




LEXAN I)KH ST EWAKT. deceased, the 
flrsfwhite man to settle in Prairie Town- 
shii), was a native of Pennsylvania, born 
in Westmoreland County. Nov. 2.0, l.so;!. 
He was a blacksmith and learned the trade before 
reaching the years of manhodd. In the year 1S24 
he was united in marriage to Siua Hull, also a na- 
tive of Pennsylvania, where they resided until 1841, 
removing thence to Ohio, and in 1S44 to Missouri, 
where our subject worked at his trade, and also fol- 
lowed teaming .uid farming. In 1847, with his 
family, consisting nf his wife and live children, he 
came to Iowa, settling on section .!. Prairie Tiiwn- 
sliip. where he followed farming, .-uid occasionally 
W(>rke<l at his trade, iinlil his death, which occurred 
Ml M.'ircli. l!ss;;. |)is wife vel survives. In his 




political relations he was a Democrat, and was the 
first Justice of the Peace in this town.ship, holding 
the office for many years. He was never connected 
with any religious or secret society. 

ON. JOHN NICHOLS DIXON, deceased, 
was born in Fayette County, Pa., Feb. 20, 
1821, being the eldest child and only son 
of .Samuel and Hannah (Hatcher) Dixon, 
natives respectively of Faj'ctte and Beaver Coun- 
ties, Pa., tlie father Ijorn May 10, 1790, and the 
mother, Dec. 20, 1799. Both parents were mem- 
bers of the Society of Friends. Thej' moved to 
Columbiana County, Ohio, while the subject of tiiis 
sketch was quite young, and there two daughters 
were born to them : Mary, the wife of Nathan 
Warrington, and Sar.ah A., Mrs. Mahlon Oliphant. 

The paternal grandfather of our subject followed 
a seafaring life for many years, owning the vessels 
he commanded. Fiuall}-, tiring of the sea he traded 
his vessels for mineral land in Virginia and Penn- 
sylvania, making his home near Redstone, Fayette 
County, where some of his descendants still own 
and live upon the old homestead. 

The father of John N. Dixon was a well-educa- 
ted, well-to-do farmer, honorable and upright in all 
his ways. Of his mother it has been said, as was 
said of another woman: "She was a charitable, 
quiet neighbor, a comfortable, friendly matron, a 
provident, diligent housewife, a careful, tender- 
hearted mother; dear to her husband, reverenced 
[jy her children, and beK)ved by all who knew her." 
Their children enjoyed all the advantages afforded 
by a liberal education. Their son was placed in 
the Friends' Academy at Mt. Pleasant, Ohio, to 
prepare for college. When about fifteen years of 
age he devoted himself to his studies with the same 
energy and perseverance which lie displayed when 
a niischief-Ioving boy at home. He soon entered 
ciiUege at Athens, ()hii>, wiiere he took a full clas- 
sical course of study. \\ lieu in the senior year, he 
with a number of others in iiis class, decided to en- 
ter a law school at the close of their college year, 
and took up some iJielimiuaiy reading with that 
nbjert ill view. \\ hell his parents were advised of 







' XI tut limT 1 




MiMiMtnrm 



m 



m 




I 



y"'^''^ ?rr TT*^ Tf I iTirm rT*""' - 



438 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 




this plan, they were distressed be_vond measure. 
They visited him at school for the sole purpose of 
persuading him to give up the study of law. His 
mother's grief and his father's entreaties prevailed 
at last. He resolutely gave up the long cherished 
plans of his early manhood, and went home to take 
up the varied duties and responsibilities of a farm- 
er's life, leaving his classmates with only a few 
months intervening until commencement day. Sev- 
eral of these in after years became widely known, 
and occupied prominent positions in both State and 
National affairs. 

Mr. Uixon was at this time in his twentieth year. 
For two years he labored faithfully on his father's 
farm. During this time he became much interested 
in liorticulture, and had grown a fine nursery (jf 
young apple-trees. Out of this nurserj' he planted 
a large orchard, on land of his own near the Ohio 
River. In November, 1.S43, our subject was mar- 
ried to Miss Susan, daughter of John and Elizabeth 
(Zeppernick) Terrall. She was born in Colum- 
Ijiana County, Ohio, Nov. 7, 1822. They became 
the parents of four children : Mary M., wife of 
Benjamin McCoy, of Oskaloosa: Sarah A., Mrs. D. 
A. Hines, of Garfield Township; Elizabeth H., who 
married George It. Charters, of Lee County, 111., 
and Samuel R., a very promising boy, who died in 
October, 1873, aged fifteen years. 

Mr. Dixon came to this county in the spring 
of 1855, and settled in Pleasant Grove Township. 
His home farm consisted of the south half of sec- 
tion 25, and the north half of section 36, whei'e he 
lived for fourteen years. In 1869 he removed to 
section 4, Gai-field Township, where he owned 200 
acres of land, upon which he resided until his 
death, in December, 1883. His widow still sur- 
vives him, and resides in (iarfield Township. 

Mr. Dixon at one time represented this county as 
State Senator, and was for several years a member 
of the Boai'd of Trustees of the State Agricultural 
College. lie always took an especial interest in 
horticultural matters, and at one time was Presi- 
dent of the State Horticultural Society. On his 
farm in Garfield Township he planted, in 1869, 
what was then the largest apple orchard in the 
State, consisting of 1 1 ,000 trees. The trees began 
bearing when five years planted, but produced nf) 



very large crop until the year 1880, when they si 
jielded the enormous amount of 34,000 bushels, si 
During his experiments with this orchard Mr. 
Dixon discovered a remedy for the destruction of 
trees by leaf rollers or eurculio, whicii lias since 
been adopted liy horticulturists, and for which he 
received a prize from the State Horticultural So- 
ciety. The orchard has borne Itut sparinglj- since 
his death, and large numbers of the trees have died 
from causes beyond the knowledge of all who have p i 
investigated them. 

Mr. Dixon was a man who took an active inter- 
est in public matters, was foremost in all measures 
for developing the resources of this section, con- 
tributing both time and means. He was a genial, ^ 
companionable gentleman, and greatly esteemed by j :l 
all who knew him. He taught bj' his dail3- lifi 
many grand lessons of perseverance, the beauties of j 
unsullied honor, and the humility that adorns true •!} 
worth. He always loved and adhered to the plain j H 
ways, the plain living and high thinking of the 
good, old-fashioned, Christian home of his parents, 
where had been passed his childhood and youth, 
and where the foundations of an incomparable 
character had been laid in truth and honor. 






EREMIAH F. EVERETT, ex-Superintendent 
of Public Schools of Mahaska County, now 
resides upon section 24, Madison Township, 
and is engaged in farming and stock-raising. 
He is a native of Ohio, and was born in Licking 
County, Oct. 15, 1831. His father, Harlow Everett, gi 
was a native of Hartford, Conn., but moved to 
Ohio in 1802. His mother, Dency (Werner) 
Everett, was born in Springfield, Mass., and moved 
to Ohio in 1805. Both wei-e quite young when they 
moved to that State; thej' were reared in what was 
but little better than a wilderness, enduring the 
toils and privations of pioneer life, subsequently 
uniting in marriage, rearing a family of children, 
and finally "passed over the river," the father dy- 
ing in 1846, and the mother in 1852. 

J. F. Everett, the subject of this sketch, was 
reared upon a farm, and educated in Dennison Uni- 
versity. Granville, Ohio, from which institution he ^i 



<£\ 



" iXlll , ; -1 I II JiilTlHOJIIXTXliHirTIITTTI^I 



jLUucisncQrxrrxxxxji, R 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



43!^ 



P 

m 

m 



I 



nj=c 



H^;; 






■11 : 









graduated in .Tnly, 1855, in the classical course, 
receiving the fleyree of Bachek)r of Arts. After 
his graduation, he taught in the lligliland Academy, 
Licking County, Ohio, until March, 1857, when he 
removed to Mahaska County, Iowa, and taught in the 
pulilio schools until April, 1851*, at which time he 
established an academy at Oskaloosa, which he con- 
ducted with good success until September. 18U1. 
The war for the Union was now in progress, and 
duty required that he enter the service of his coun- 
try Mudhelp maintain its existence undivided. Ac- 
cordingly he enlisted in the 4th Iowa Cavalry, and 
for three years was actively engaged with his -regi- 
ment in the various marches, raids and battles in 
which it participated. 

In October, 18G5, Mr. Everett was elected 
County Superintendent of Public Schools, and was 
re-elected in lS(i7, serving four years. In 18()8he 
was elected Superintendent of the City Schools of 
Oskaloosa, and for two years filled both positions, 
but continuing as City Superintendent until July, 
1.S72, when he was called to the superintendency of 
the city schools of Rock Island, 111., where he re- 
niained untilJuly, 1881, when lie resigned, returned 
to Mahaska County, and moved to his present 
farm in IMadison Township. 

As an educator. Prof. Everett ranks high, as 
evidenced from his retention as head of the schools 
in Rock Island, which are among the best in the 
State of Illinois. For over a quarter of a century, 
with the exception of the time spent in the army, 
he gave his time to the cause i^f education, studj'- 
ing its principles and carrying into active practice 
such theories as he felt would best promote its in- 
terests. 

On the 29th day of December, 18G8, Mr. Ever- 
ett was united in marriage with Charlotte E. Faxon, 
a native of Vermont, and daughter of .John and 
Eliza (Kellogg) Faxon. The3- have at the present 
writing (February, 1887,) four living children: 
Francis F., twelve years old; Edith M., aged nine 
years; Frederick W., aged seven years, and Anna 
Jenuette, who is three years old. 

The home farip of IMr. Evei'ctt is one of the i)est 
in Madison Township, and lies about six miles north 
of Oskaloosa. It comprises 160 acres, all of which 
is under a iiiiih state of cultivation, with a neat 



two-storj^ frame dwelling, good barns and other 
appurtenances thei'eon. He also owns '2'^-2 acres in 
Adams Township. In addition to general farming. 
Mr. Everett makes a specialty of Jersey cattle, in 
the raising of which he has been quite successful. 
In the conduct of his farm, he brings the same 
executive ability to bear that characterized him a> 
an educator, and therefore has been as successful 
as a farmer as in his other emplo3'iiient. 

Mr. ilverett is a member of the Masonic frater- 
nity, the principles of the order being dear to his 
heart. His wife is a member of the Congregational 
Church. As a citizen, friend and neighbor. Mr. 
Everett enjoys the confidence and esteem of all 
who know him. 



I^v 



J35"®i:L 



vd 



T-JrJjDli 



<! IfeOODFORD BA.SS, a prominent and well- 
\rj/ to-do resident of Monroe Township, was 
\^^ born in Van Bui'en County, Iowa, April 13, 
1844. His father, W. L. Bass, of Kentucky, was 
born Jan. 8, 1802, and died March 18, 1885. His 
mother, Margaret (Roberts) Bass, was liorn April 
1, 1803, and died Nov 2, 1883, both parents hav- 
ing lived to a ripe old age. 

The subject of this sketch was carefully reared, 
receiving a good education, and was united in mar- 
riage with Miss JIary E. Atwood. Felj. 14, 1S78. 
She was born in Shelby County, Ind., Nov. 15, 
1 838, came to Iowa with her parents and settled in 
Mahaska County, in 184!». There were two chil- 
dren in the family, herself .and a sister, Harriet E., 
now residing in Adams Township. Her father died 
Dec. 24, 18(;7, and her mother, Dec. 1, 1877. At 
the time of his decease Mr. Atwood owned 2,000 
acres of land, wiiieh w:us equally divided between 
his two daughters. 

Mr. Bass is a member of the Masonic fraternity, 
Industry Lodge No. 2G0, at Rose Hill, and 
De Pa^'ens Commandery, Oskaloosa. He is also a 
member of Bloonifield Lodge No. 23, I. O. O. F. 
In politics he is a Republican. During tiie late war 
he enlisted in KS(!3 in tiic Itli Iowa Arlillerj', and 
served until the close. Mr. and Mrs. Bass own 780 
acres of lanil in a good state of cultivation .and well 



M 



WW 

I 
i! 



p 



i 
mm 



11 

|i 

1 



11 



m 

II 



1 



if 
Li 



i 



L: 



l^ -i 







txmzmtxi 




2irrnrcni« 







440 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



improved. Their home is one fit" genuine hospi- 
tality and good cheer, and they enjoy the esteem 
and confidence of a hirge circle of acquaintances 
and friends. 



#^-# 



urn 




\f/OHX EA'KLAXD located upon his present 
homestead in lis/io. He was born in Mor- 
gan County, Ohio, in 1818, and is a son of 
William and Sarah (Swai'tz) Eveland, his 
father a native of New York and his mother of 
New Jersey. John remained at home upon his 
father's farm until twenty-three years of age, when 
he went to De Witt County, 111., and thence to Mc- 
Lean County, 111., where he remained four j^ears, 
engaged in farming upon rented land. In 1844 
he moved to Muscatine County, Iowa, where he 
bought a claim of 180 acres, on which he lived for 
eleven years. .Selling this land in 185.') he came to 
Mahaska County, and puix-hased 240 acres of land 
i>n section 3, Jefferson Township, which he has 
grcatl)' improved, and on which he still continues 
to reside. 

Mr. Eveland was married, in 1839, to Mary 
Phillips, a native of Belmont, Ohio. By this union 
there were five children, four of whom grew to 
maturity, one dying in infancy : Linens, born in 
1844, was a soldier in the 33d Iowa Infantry, and 
died at Little Rock, Ark.; Sarah Ellen, born March 
4, 1840, is the wife of J. M. W. Blizzard, of Jeffer- 
son Township; Freeman, ln^rn July 10, 1.S48, is 
I iving^hi^ Jefferson Township; Egbert was born in 
Maj-, 1850. Mrs. Sarah Eveland died, and our 
subject, on Jan. 6, 1853, was again married, his 
second wife being Miss Elizalieth Wilson, a native 
of Pennsylvania, and daughter of Daniel and Anna 
(Mace) Wilson. Her father was a native of North 
Ireland and her mother of Pennsylvania. By this 
ui.ion there are four living children : Alice, wife of 
John Mehana, now residing in .Jefferson Township; 
Ida M., at home; .Tessie, wife of S. V. Gerard, of 
Nebraska, and John E., at home. 

Mr. Eveland is the owner of 280 acres of im- 
proved lanil. Coming to this State at an early 
day, with many others, he can say he has expe- 
lieiiced all the toils and privations of a pioneer. 



but is happy in the consciousness of a well-spent jH i 
life. The following reminiscence from the pen of 
Mr. Eveland will be read witii |)leasure by his 
many friends : 

"After hearing of the fertile laud of Illinois, in 
lis41 I concluded to move therewith my family. 
In company with four other families we started 
from Morgan County, Ohio, in October, in w'agons. 
After twenty days of toilsome journej'ing we 
reached Clinton County, 111. AVhen we came to 
Illinois it was a great, beautiful, unbroken prairie, 
which we soou passed over. W'hen we arrived at 
our journej^'s end we were received by a brother 
who had moved to Illinois two years previously. 
I soon bought a hewed-Iog house, moved it on 
Oovernment laud, and moved my family into it. 
In the spring I sold my house and rented a farm. 
While staying there I paid twent3'-five cents for 
every letter that I received, that being the rate of 
postage on letters at that time. I occupied this S 
farm four years, then exchanged it for a farm in gi 
Muscatine Count}', Iowa, to which I journeyed in ffii 
October, accompanied by my family, making the gfi 
trip in five days, over a beautiful prairie country, 
and crossing the Mississippi on a tlatboat. I ar- 
rived in Muscatine with only 11 in money, which Si 
was expended in coffee. 

"•I occupied this farm until spring. During the pi 
winter I bought a claim of forty acres, with a frame Sal 
house and some other improvements on it. To se- 
cure the home I gave my horses, wagon and $60. 
B}' the kindness of one of m}' neighbors I obtained 
a team to put my crop in, and bj- d.ay labor I pro- 
cured horses to cultivate my crop the first year, 
and afterward procured teams of my own, both 
horses and oxen. When I went to my timber I 
took team and gun, and my horses or oxen would 
soou see the game. A.t one time my oxen spied a 
deer about 8 o'clock in the morning; I shot and 
wounded it, then loaded my sled witii wood and 
started my oxen home, then followed the deer. 
After walking about half a mile I killed another 
deer, which I hung out of reach of the wolves, and 
then resumed pursuit of the wounded one. I trav- 
eled in vain, .and found I had w.ali<ed thirty-six |:} 
miles; the dog I liml uitli me did iiol w:dk for four ^} 
days afterward. ^ „ 

, - 4 



"— — ""\Ba<IJ 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



441 



II 



Hi-: 



1: : 






P 



y-: 



1, : 

u 

1 c 
1 , : 



I.: 

u': 
u:: 

i •: 
: 



" NVlicMi 1 first moved tu Muscatine County by 
fitfiiuling' ill ray door I could see but five iiouses, 
and people traveled sixty miles to mill, wliicli was 
ouly twenty miles from nu>. Eleven years later I 
could see seventy-five houses. 

" During the winter of l.siS-t'.l tiierc was a very 
deep snow, which benaii falling the .sth of Xoveni- 
ber and continued until it was two feet deep; being 
accompanied by a wind it drifted terril)ly. One 
of my outside doors was snowed under, and the 
snow was piled u|> five feet on the roof. There 
being an extra room in my house, I gave it for a 
school-room, as there was no school-house within 
three miles. It was necessary to have a place of 
exit from the school-room and my part of the 
the house, as the snow was piled along the entire 
side of the house. To find where the door was 
from the outside 1 put a ramrod up through the 
snow at the top of the door, then went outside and 
began digging toward the ramrod, a distance of 
twenty feet, cutting a road four feet broad. This 
snow lasted till the next April. Wild animals of 
all kinds suffered for food during this time, and a 
great many starved to death. I have seen fifty 
deer in one herd top of a snowdrift eating the 
twigs of the trees. 

'• I bought fift3'-cight acres of timber and prairie 
this year. In Februaiy I commenced to break 
flirty acres, and 1)3- the 4th of June had it enclosed 
and planted in corn. The 2.5th of June 1113' wife 
died of cholera, leaving me with a family of four 
children. With the assistance of kind neighbors I 
kept my family together until the following Jan- 
uaiy, when 1 married in3' present wife. The fol- 
lowing spring I bought eight3' acres. 

'• We lived a prosperous, contented and liajipy 
life until the spring of 1854, when the Chicago, 
Hock Island & Pacific Railroad was located through 
Muscatine County, p.-issiiig directly through the 
center of m3- farm. Then I sold out, in 1 <S5.5, and 
once more, in October, started westward. After 
live days' journeying through a beautiful country 
1 arrive<l in Mahaska Count3', and bought the farm 
that I now live on, also another farm of I GO acres, 
and eighty acres of timber land. I dealt in land 
until the last ten 3'ears, and have also engaged in 
raising stock, principally -iwine. The (•ouiitr\' is 



w-ell wooded and watered, with an abundance of 
rock and coal. The climate is finely adapted to 
agricultural pursuits. I have witnessed with keen 
interest the change from almost a wilderness, where 
Indians roamed in pursuit of game and plunder, 
and where there were but two log school-houses 
(cabins) in five miles, one of them being supplied 
with light by leaving a log out of one side and fill- 
ing the opening with panes of glass; the other had 
small window frames. In these we had our preach- 
ing and other public meetings. The nearest church 
was eleven miles away. Merchandise was trans- 
ported across the river in ferry-boats. Our dwell- 
ings were log cabins with bare rafters, and onl3' 
the necessaries of life within them. Now we have 
a thriving, thickly populated country, well supplied 
with churches and school-houses, and str<jiigl3- con- 
structed bridges over our rivers, fine dwelling- 
houses, with eveiy convenience and luxur3', sur- 
rounded with fruit and ornamental trees, fields 
where all varieties of grain are grown, and where 
improved stock of all kinds niaj' be found, and 
with railroads to take our suri)lns products to all 
parts of the United .States." 

^f/UDGE L. C. BLANCIIARD, attorney, of the 
firm of Blanchard & I'reston, of Oskaloosa, 
and one of the most prominent and succes.s- 
f ul practitioners in this section of the Hawk- 
eye State, is a native of New York, born in Diana, 
Lewis Count3% April 15, 1839. His parents were 
Caleb and Penelope (Aldrich) Blanchard. His 
father was a farmer b3^ occupation, a native of 
Rhode Island, and rested from his labors when his 
son, our subject, was a lad of five years old. The 
mother was a native of ^'ernlont, and survived her 
husband man3- 3'ears, d3-ing in 1862, in the State of 
New York. The parental household consisted of six 
children, of whom the record is as follows : Ros- 
anna became the wife of A. Harris, a farmer of 
Jefferson Coniit3', N. Y., and is now deceased ; 
Rosalia niari'ied Maj. Charles Newcomer, a banker 
of Mt. Morris, UL, and she also is deceased; Mar- 
tin resides in Newton, Iowa, and deals in real es- 
tate; Pauline uiMiried J. \V. VkiA. a farmer of C'la\- 



1j 







luiTiiiis^ia 



» 1 1. ■ i'^ I ■ 1 1 r» 



^' 




iirxxixxxx2-i - 



442 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



ii;=1 



\im 



County, Iowa; Lucia, deceased, was the wife of 
Warren Humes, a fanner of Lewis County, N. Y. ; 
this daughter and the subject of our slcetch were 
twins. 

Mr. Blanchard was reared on a farm, and resided 
in his native State until about seventeen years of 
age, in the meantime having been a student of Car- 
thage Academj- and also having taught school in 
that vicinity. In 1858 he went to Mt. Morris, 111., 
and entered upon a course of study at Rock River 
Seminary, which he pursued for two years. In the 
spring of 1800 he went to Pike's Peak for the bene- 
fit of his health and also to engage in mining, and 
remained there during the summer. He then re- 
turned as far east as Iowa, and taught school the 
following winter in Jasper County. He then re- 
ceived news of his mother's failing health, and re- 
turning home, remained with her until her decease 
the following year. He then returned to Iowa, in- 
tending to enter upon the study of law. His plans, 
however, were frustrated by the breaking out of 
the Rebellion, as his patriotism would not allow 
him to do otherwise than to proffer his services to 
aid in the preservation of the Union. He enlisted 
as a private in Co. K, 28th Iowa Vol. Inf., under 
command of Capt. John Myer, and served about 
fifteen months, being in the battles of Port Gibson, 
Champion Hills, and the siege and capture of Vicks- 
burg. After this last event he w.as sent with his 
regiment to New Orleans, and then, on account of 
physical disability, received his discharge. He re- 
turned to Illinois to recuperate, stopping for a time 
at Mt. Morris, and thence going to Morrison, where 
he engaged in teaching school. In the spring of 
1804 Mr. Blanchard, not being able to engage in 
manual labor, canvassed the county of Whiteside 
for Greeley's " American Conflict." He traveled 
on foot and was successful in his undertaking. 
After closing up this business he determined to re- 
sume his law studies, and accordingly entered the 
University of Michigan, where he took a thornngh 
course and graduated in 18GG. 

The subject of our sketch entered upon the prac- 
tice of his profession June 2ij, 18G6, in Montezuma, 
Iowa. He was bright and ambitious, made hosts 
()f friends, and met with remarkable success. The 
following year he was a]ip(iintpd .Tudgp of the 



if 



County Court, and was elected to that ofHce in the 
fall of the same year. He still climbed upward in 
his profession, and in the fall of 18U8 was elected 
Judge of the circuit which inehided the counties 
of Poweshiek, Washington, Keokuk and Jefferson. 
He occupied this position four years, aud was then 
elected to the enlarged circuit which, in addition 
to the afore-mentioned counties, included Jasper, 
Marion and Mahaska. After serving his term of 
four years as Circuit .Judge, he was re-elected, serv- 
ing another four years, aud making a sum total of 
twelve years' service as Circuit Judge. He then 
declined to become a candidate for re-election, and 
commenced the practice of law at Oskaloosa, to 
which place he had removed in 1874, and has been ^ 
thus occupied since that time. He was associated 
in partnership with J. C. Williams for two years, 
and after the dissolution of the firm practiced alone si 
until November, 188.5, when he associated himself e 
with B. W. Preston, his present partner. 

In addition to other important business. Judge ^ 
Blanchard has been attorney for the county of Ma- 
haska in important litigation, and also for the Cen- 
tral Railroad Company. During the existence here 
of the Oskaloosa Insurance Company, he had charge 
of its legal business, aud was retained for some time 
after its removal to Des Moines. He is attorney M' 

for the Farmer's and Trader's Bank and for some £1 

550 
of the most important coal companies in the city, 

among them the Western Union Fuel and the W^est- 
ern Fuel Supplj- Companies. At the organization 
of the Farmer's and Trader's Bank, .Judge Blanch- 
ard became a stockholder and Vice President; when 
this was succeeded by the Farmer's and Trader's pi 
National Bank he was elected a Director and Vice 
President, which office he still holds. He is also a 
member of the Board of Directors of the Oska- 
loosa Power and Land Company. 

.hidge Blanchard is a warm friend and earnest 
admirer of the principles of the Masonic fraternity, 
and has been prominently connected with it for 
many years. As a Mason he has been Master of 
Tiihiniinar Lodge, and was Grand Orator of the 
(irand Loilge of Iowa at its session in Dubuque in 
187il, his oration being delivered June 4, at its oGth £} 
Annual Comuiunication. This oration was pul) 



Ki 



lisho<l In UKUiy iJapors of Iowa and other States. ^[ 




m 



r^ .L X Tx .mi~ ix xixxxm i. \ i.^- — . ...^ 



pr.=Tprjj---. 



X 



v! 



gr'r'rJi^Hgti 



— ^^^^a" 




fSSS. 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



44.S 



iS 



It was also j)iiiite<l in tlie Masonir liecord in 
Allahaliad, India. At tlio same session lie was 
electeil (iran<l Trcasnrer of the firand J.oilge 
of Iowa, serving' one year, ;ni<l in is.so, in con- 
nection with Past (iiand Master .1. W . Wilson, 
was appointed hy the (irand Lodge to |>ii'paif 
and publish a digest of the decisions of the 
Grand Lodge of Iowa. 'I'liis work was a|)proved, 
and was adopted and published by the (irand 
Lodge. 

Judge Blanchard has been twice married ; first at 
Montezuma, Iowa, Jan. 13, 1870, to Miss Sarah 
Kilburn, daughter of F. A. Kilburn, then the lead- 
ing merchant of that vieinitj'. Of this marriage 
two children were born who are yet living : Rosalia, 
born March 7, 1 872, and Claude, May 17,1 875. Mrs. 
Saraii Blanchard died in Oskaloosa, Feb. 19, 1878. 

Judge Blanchard was the second time married, 
in Oskaloosa, June 1), 1880, to Miss Jozelle Williams, 
daughter of Micajah T. Williams, of Oskaloosa, a 
sketch uf whom appears on another page in this 
work. The Judge and his bride, for their wedding- 
trip, took a tour through P^urope, visiting the prin- 
cipal cities in the British Isles and the continent. 
They landed in Queenstown after making the ocean 
voyage in safety, and proceeded to the cit}- of Cork ; 
then made a tour of the Lakes of Killaruey and ad- 
jacent i)laces of interest, thence to Dublin and Bel- 
fast, taking a steamer from there to Glasgow, Scot- 
land, visiting the historic places in Edinburgh, 
ilelrose, Abbotsford and Dryburg, names familiar 
in connection with Sir Walter Scott. From there 
they journeyed to France, spent a week in Paris, 
went thence to London, Antwerp and Brussels, vis- 
iting the field of Waterloo w-hich witnessed Napo- 
leon's last battle, and from Cologne by steamer up 
the storied Rhine, touching the rich city of Frank- 
ford-on-the-Main, and thence to Heidelberg, where 
the fete in honor of the oOOth anniversary of the 
founding of its famous university was in progress. 
They then proceedeil to Baden-Baden, and from 
there made a trip by diligence in the Black Forest, 
thence to Strasburg, with its famous clock on its 
more famous cathedral; from there to beautiful 
Lucerne in Switzerland, thence by steamer to Vitz- 
nau, and by rail up tiie Rigi, from the top of which 
seven beautiful lakes were seen, with dozens of Swiss 



villages and the whole range of the Bernese Alps; 
thence by the Brunig Pass to Merigen.and Ijy pon- 
ies to the top of the great Shideck, where the gla- 
ciers are. They afterward proceeded to Bern, the 
capital of Switzerland, fiom there to Freyburg and 
Lausanne, and by steamer across the lake^to Geneva, 
and then back to Paris by rail; thence to London; 
.and embarking .at Liverpool, after a very rough 
passage landed in the city of New York. 




,,.., A. SPENNY, who resides in the village of 
£j, Cedai-, was born in Fulton Count}', 111., 
Feb. 2, 1846, .and came to this county in 
188."). Ho is the son of James and Sarah 
(Kountz) Speimy, the former of whom died in Wa- 
taga, Knox Co., 111., in 1884; the latter still resides 
in Kenton, Fulton County, the same State. A. A. 
Spenny was married, Oct. 2, 1808, to Miss Mary 
Will, a daughter of David and Jane (Asbury) Will, 
both of whom are deceased, the former departing this 
life in 180.i and the latter in 1863. Mr. and Mrs. 
Spenny are the parents of seven children — Ida, 
Jessie, Nellie, Grace, Charles, Albert and Clarence. 
Mr. Spenny is a member of the I. O. O. F., and 
in his political affiliations is a Democrat. He is of 
the firm of Spenny & Iliggason, who are engaged 
in the manufacture of tile and terra cotta orna- 
ments, in which they are doing quite an extensive 
business. They employ six men, use a twenty- 
horse-power engine, and turn out about ()(),00O 
tile per month, the sizes running from three to 
eight inches. 









'OIIN T. PORTER, who owns 200 acres of 
choice land and is a highly respected resi- 
dent of Union Township, was born in Ire- 
(^1' land, Oct. 20, 1841. He is a son of James 
and Margaret (McKee) Porter, both of whom were 
natives of that country, and both are now deceased. 
John T. came to America with his parents in 1842, 
and settled in Clinton County, N. Y. He remained 
at home with his parents until reaching his major- 



^ f.Viir.'Ta 



TT-urxxuiTXiirxTTm-iim;' C 




444 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



ity, then started ff)r the "West to begin life on hi.s 
own account. 

Coming- to t-lii.< county in 1870, he purchased 
forty acre.s of land on .section 32 of Union Town- 
ship, and during this year was united in marriage 
with Miss Almary M. Wells, a native of Clinton 
County, N. Y.. liiirn in 1S4'J, and a daughter of 
.Julius S. and Trypliena (Ober) Wells. By this 
uniiin there are fmir living children, as follows: 
Frank, born Nov. 18, 187:5; J:arl, Sept. 28, 187.^; 
Ross E.. Feb. l,s. 1881, and F:thel M., Oct. 22, 
1 s.s."), all of whom are living at home ; James Les- 
lie, born Nov. 21, 1872, died F'eb. 25,187.3. 

He has added to his original purchase of laud, 
until he nuw owns an excellelit farm of 200 acres, 
160 of which are in Union Township and forty in 
Adams. He has brought this to an excellent state 
of cultivation, and all the improvements are of a 
superior order. The wheel of fortune has turned, 
perhaps slowly, but surely, in his favor, and he lias 
jjrospered reasonably well in the affairs of life. 
This has not occurred by reason of " good luck " 
I! l![ alone, but has been coupled with industry and a 



mm 



projjer management of his affairs. He enjoj's the 
esteem .and confidence of his entire circle of ac- 
quaintances. 

Mr. and Mrs. Porter and their oldest son arc 
members of tiie Methodist Episcopal Church, and 
politically Mr. Porter belongs to the Republican 
part3', of which he is an unwavering supporter. 



w 




R. SAMUEL W. CLARK, a rising young 
phj-siciau of Oskaloosa, is successfidly en- 
gaged in the practice of his profession, and 
enjoys the confidence and esteem of his 
community. He is a native of the Hawkeye State, 
born in Appanoose County, July 16, 1860, and is 
consequentl}' a }"oung man in the profession. His 
parents were Rev. George and Anna (Bean) Clark, 
and his father, still living, is a native of Marvl.and. 
The wife and mother departed this life in Illi- 
nois, in 1881. 

Dr. Clark received an excellent primary- school 
education, which was supplemented by a fire j'ears' 
course at Penu College, fmni which he gi'aduated 

V5 



with hfmors, in 1882. His medical education was 
obtained at the Iowa State University, where he 
took a two years' course and graduated, taking his 
degree March 3, 1886, after which he began to 
practice in Oskaloosa. He is a young man of ex- 
cellent habits, strictly in favor of temperance, and a 
member in good standing of the Methodist Episco- 
pal Church. In politics he casts his vote for the 
support of the principles of the Democratic party. 



^-vw --itjLCj2?©-^^ 



y^^^-gTnrr^-y 




: ^ LIJAH ANDERSON, residing on section 27, 
•^ Spring Creek Township, was born in Clinton 
^^ C<mnt3', Ohio, June 18, 1817, and is a son 
of Ell and Mary (Thatcher) Anderson. They came 
to Iowa about the year 1870, and are since de- 
ceased. Elijah Anderson resided with his parents 
until he was twenty-three years old, and came to 
Iowa in 1865, settling in AVhite Oak Township, 
this county, where he remained for about six j'ears, 
removing thence to his purchase of 115 acres of 
land in Spring Creek Township, where he now re- 
sides, and upon which is a good substantial dwell- 
ing and all proper out-buildings and appurtenances 
necessary to the comfort and convenience of a 
farm. 

The subject of this sketch was married in 1840, to 
Asenath II. Bailey, the daughter of Henry and Pa- 
nina (Bos well) Bailey. Of this union there have 
been born eight children, named as follows: Julia 
A., William P.. Eli, Clark, Albert, Ilenrj' T., Ar- 
thur and an infant, all deceased save Julia, Clark, 
and Henry. The mother of these children is also 
deceased. In 1879 Mr. Anderson married the 
widow of Enos Doan. Her maiden name was Mar- 
tha Ann Burgess, and she is a daughter of Jesse 
and Fjlizabeth (Harvey) ^Burgess. By her mar- 
riage with Enos Doan there were born four chil- 
dren — Marjf Emily (deceased), John M., Esther 
Ann and Enos A. Both of these families are of 
English ancestry, and members of tlie Society of 
Friends. 

Elijah Anderson is a man who is thoroughly' in 
earnest in the work of moral reformation, and is a 
consistent and active member of the Society of 
Friends, belonging to the George Fox branch; his 




SS S ^a 



IS! 



s^ssssa 



'i^£g£^' 



rm3Li|raxM, 




MAHASKA COUNTY. 



445 



i 

4£ 



,i 




m 



wife hclongs t(j the aggressive body of the same 
society: yet lioth hope and believe they are guided 
by the same spirit. Mr. A. ta!<es an especial inter- 
est in the success of the cause of prohil)ition, be- 
lieving in the Bilile doctrine, so plainly taught, tliat 
men should not put into their mouths an enemy to 
steal away their brains. Men with these advanced 
ideas are always the lietter class of citizens. 

•^ *»^'!^,')iglB'r-a I n - - r 'y ' -^ ^ 

ITCI-IEI. WILSOX. The thriving coinniu- 
nity in which is located the bus.y little cit3' 
of Oskaloo-sa is indebted for its ])rosperit.y 
to the business men as well as the sturdy 
tillers of the soil, and among the number is the 
subject of this biographical notice. He is engaged 
in merchandising, and deals in dry-goods, notions, 
ladies and gents' furnishing goods, ladies' cloaks 
and dress goods, and since embarking in the busi- 
ness in 1862 has been more than ordinarily suc- 
cessful. 

]\Iitchel Wilson was born near Wilmington, Clin- 
ton Co., Ohio, June 30, 1833, and is a son of 
Thomas and Ann R. (Huston) Wilson, both natives 
of Ohio and of .Scotch-Irish descent. Mr. Wilson 
left Ohio when nineteen years of age and came to 
Iowa, locating in Oskaloosa. He arrived here in 
the fall of the 3'ear, and in the following spring 
started a little store. He opened a coal bank in I 
the winter of 1852-53, and delivered coal to the 
citizens of Oskaloosa. Prior to that time this arti- 
cle had been sold by the bushel, Mr. Wilson being 
the first to weigh out that commodity to pur- ! 
chasers. In the fall of that year he sold out his 
store, and in the spring of 1854 engaged as sales- I 
man for Shoemake & Montgomery, general nier- j 
cliants. He became a partner in the firm in the fall 
of the following 3'ear. and that connection contin- 
ued until the spring of 1S.',7, when the terrible | 
crisis which came all over the country compelled 
them, with man3- others, to close business. Mr. , 
Wilson then engaged with Benjamin Roop,as book- 
keeper and cashier, and remained with him until 
IMi'J. Hi- then went into the Oskaloosa branch of 
the Stiite Bank of Iowa as Book-keei)er. and was 
soon thereafter jn-oniotcd Cashier, which position he 



continued to hold until 1861. Afterward he wcui 
to Denver in the interest of Mr. Hoop, remainiii^j 
two year>. 

On returning to Oskaloosa Mr. AVilson opened .i 
store, and for two years was associated with .Tf)ini 
15. (iaunt, under the firm name (^f daunt it Wilson. 
general dr3'-goods mei'chants. Two 3-ears later he 
returned to the bank, and was with it until it wa.s 
merged into the >r.ati<mal .State Bank, when he was 
chosen as its first Cashier. Two 3-ears later he 
again embarked in mercantile business, and has con- 
tinued alone, with the exception of one 3'ear, until 
the present time. He carries an average stock of 
*15,0()(i. 

Our subject was married in the spring of 1863, 
at Oskaloosa, to Miss Ella, daughter of Nathan 
Crawford. She was born in Crawford Count3% Ind.. 
and has become the mother of three children, two 
daughters and a son, namel3' : Cora A., Zena A. 
and Walter G., all born in Oskaloosa. Jlr. Wilson 
and wife are members of the Presbyterian Church. 

In politics our subject is Republican, having cast 
his first vote for Abraham Lincoln. He is a mem- 
ber of the Board of Education of Oskaloosa, and i.- 
serving his fourth term of three 3'ears each. He 
was a member of the Cit3' Council of Oskaloosa 
during 186.3-65, and City Treasurer through 1867- 
69. Sociall3' he is a member of the Masonic frater- 
nity, having joined that society in 1858. He is a 
Director and Vice President of the Iowa Life and 
Endowment Insurance Company, and is a repre- 
sentative and respected citizen. 



'v^^^ 



■' n 




^*?*^ AATD LYSTER, the possessor of a beauti- 
ful fann estate in Pleasant Grove Town- 
ship, was born in Count3' Down, North 
Ireland. He came to America in 1 848, 
landing in the cit3' of Philadelphia, and resided 
there until 1851, going thence to iMichigan, from 
which State he came to Iowa in 1.S56, and located 
in Pleasant Grove Township, this count3', where 
his father had previousl3- settled and entered land, 
which David helped to improve. 

The subject of this sketch a few years later, on 



1 1; 



i 



tl 



W- 



M. 



i] 



m 



i 



.3 



"TxrxxAjjxijnxmxrti 



T»llf IWTrTTTri t . . , UT-rATA.' 



TrrrTTT TTTTi-rw rTTTT 



446 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 




l;:i 



MM 

'mm 




April 3, 1873, was united in marriage with Mrs. Mary 
Hazlett, a native of bis own country, who was born in 
County Tyrone, and came to this country in 1849. 
Her first husband, Alexander Hazlett, was born in 
County Derry, Ireland, and came to this country 
in 1848. He died Oct. 26, 1872. Politically he 
was a Republican. Of this marriage there were 
born two children, both in Mahaska County : Jane, 
born Nov. 30, 185G; and .Joseph James, July 21, 
1868. The latter owns 120 acres of fine land, well 
improved, but is single and lives with his parents. 

JNIr. and Mrs. Lyster are the parents of two chil- 
dren: David C, born Jan. 23, 1874, and Mary 
Emma, Sept. 25, 1875. Mr. Lyster is an ar- 
dent and uncompromising Republican, the princi- 
ples of which party, he has advocated since its or- 
ganization. Both he and his wife are influential 
members of the United Presbyterian Church. 

The home farm consists of 120 acres of fertile 
land, which, under the excellent care of Mr. Lyster, 
has been brought to a very high state of cultivation. 
The farm, with its fine improvements, is not excelled 
as a homestead by any in Pleasant Grove Township. 

Mr. Lyster is a gentleman of liberal education, 
possesses general knowledge of current events, and 
ranks among the leading citizens of his township. 
As a citizen, friend and neighbor, he is highly es- 
teemed by the community in general. 



IIARLES E. TEBBETT8, Professor of Math- 
ematics at Penn College, Oskaloosa, was 
born in Muscatine County, this State, April 
25, 1855. His parents, Charles A. and Mar^- H. 
(Bean) Tebbetts, were natives of New Hampshire, 
belonged to the Society of Friends, and emigrated 
from the Old Granite State to Iowa in 1853, and 
are at present residing in Oskaloosa. 

The subject of this notice was a student at Haver- 
ford College, Philadelphia, and graduated there- 
from with honors in the class of 1875. The fol- 
lowing year he taught in the Union Springs (N. Y.) 
Boarding School, after which he took a course of 
study at the State University of Iowa, receiving the 
Master's degree in l,s77. Prof. Tebbetts came to 
Oskaloosa in the autumn of 1877 to accept a po- 





sition as member of the faculty of Penn College. 
He spent six years in the scientific department, and 
fttr the past four years has held the Chair of JNIathe- 
matics. During the ten years that our subject has 
been connected with Penn College he has won an 
enviable reputation as a scholar and instructor. 

Prof. Tebbetts was united in marriage at Musca- 
tine, July 30, 1879, with Miss Imelda, the .accom- 
plished daughter of John II. and Edith Painter. 
She was born in Cedar County, this State, and has 
borne our subject two children, Edith May and 
Clara Imelda, both born in Oskaloosa. Prof. Teli- 
betts and wife are members of the Society of 
Friends and in politics he votes with the Rei)ublican 
party. 



DAM VICTOR, a highly respected resident 
of Adams Township, was born in Summit 
County, Ohio, Jan. 10, 1828. He left the 
parental roof while yet a boy, and started 
out in the world to make a living for himself, doing 
his first work for his board and clothes. He went 
with an uncle to Whitley Count}', Ind., remaining 
with him three years, and left him at the end of 
that time, no better off financially than when he 
came. From his uncle's home he went to Lafay- 
ette, and engaged to work in a paper mill at $1 per 
day, continuing in that employment for four years. 
Following that he went to work on the Lafayette 
& Indianapolis Railroad as brakeman, and after a 
short time was promoted to conductor, in which 
capacity he served that company for six years, re- 
signed his position in 1855, came to Iowa and pur- 
ch.ased 160 acres of land in this county, which he 
farmed for oue year, and then disposed of all but 
forty acres of it. Misfortune overtook him, and 
for two or three years followed him persistently. 
At last the tide changed in his favor, and he bought 
back the land he had previously sold, and has added 
to it since until he now owns 480 acres. 

Dec. 7, 1853, Mr. Victor married Miss Martha 
E. Williams, a native of Greene County, Ohio, born 
in 1835. They are the parents of two children, 
Fred and Charley. Mr. Victor is a member of the 
Democratic party and has held several township 
offices. His wife is a member of the Societj' of 






m 



V^ 







ru - 

U : 

1 
!•: 

1 

1 
I? 




T3£ 

k 



u 

IJ; 

'^^ 

1-: 

i; 
i; 
j) 

liii 
li 

Mi 

Mi 



M\ 



N- 






Friends. Mr. N'ictor's liDine farm is :i boily of very 
(inc l;\ii(l, wliifli lie has brniiiilit to a liii;h state of 
eiiltivation ami the improvements of wliicii are first 
class. Latterlj- he has succeeded admiraliiy in his 
hnsincss. anil ma^' lie iiroperly classed among the 
well-to-do farmers of Mahaska t'ounty. lie is an 
estimable citizen in all respects, and one enjoying 
the confidence and re!j:ard of .-in extended circle of 
acfpiaiutances and friends. 

C. HOWELL is a retired farmer living in 
Fremont. He was born in Fairfield County', 
Ohio, Jan. !», 1K24, and is the son of Jacob 
and Jane (L)iman) Howell. Jacob Howell 
was a contractor anil liuilder. and a soldier in the 
War of \xi'2. He died in I'ickaway C\)nnt3% ( )hio, 
in l.s;i:j, and his wife in Fairfield County, in 1832. 
The subject of this sketch at the time of his 
mother's death was eight years old. and was taken 
liv his brother-in-law to rear, with whom he lived 
until fifteen j'ears of age. He then went to Tiffin, 
Ohio, and began to learn the trade of carriage- 
making with J. B. Flagler, remaining with him four 
years, and, returning to Indiana, worked at his 
trade for thirti" years. 

Our subject was man led, in that .State, to Jane 
A. Williams, who was a native of Kentucky, l)orn 
Feb. .0, 1.'<2G. Mr. and Mrs. Howell became the 
parents of six children: Joseph A., born Feb. 12, 
IJSty, died when ten months old; Franklin P., born 
Nov. 8, 1851, died in August, 1854; Clarence A., 
born Oct. 12, 1854, married Amelia .Stephens, and 
lives in Pottawattamie County; Ch.-irlie, born Aug. 
21, 1858, died in April, 18G4; Benoni C, born 
Nov. 24, 1861, died Aug. IG, 1877; Anna J., born 
Oct. 8, 18C4, is the wife of O. F. Bryan. .Mr. 
Howell, in 1871, married .Sarah McFall, daughter 
of Samuel and Elizabeth (Barbee) !McFall. She was 
born in Bartholomew County, Ind., Jlay 24, |.s;{0. 
Her parents are both deceased, and buried on their 
own land in this township. 

The subject of this sketch removed from Indiana 
to Cedar Township, in 1848, put up a shop, and went 
to work at his trade in the town of Fremont, which 
was laid out that year by William Owen and James 



Waldrin, and carried on the business until 1853, 
when he went to Winterset, Madi.son Co., Iowa, and 
worked at the carriage business until 18GG, when 
he came back to this county, bought land, and went 
to farming and stock-raising, which he continued 
until the fall of 1X84, when, b}' reason of physical 
disabilit}-, he was compelled to relinquish his busi- 
ness and move into town, where he now resides. 

Mr. Howell enlisted Aug. 'J, 18G2, in Co. A, 23d 
lowii \'ol. Inf., and served until the 26th of Au- 
gust. 18G3. During the siege of ^'icksburg he con- 
tracted disease of the lungs, and was discharged 
from service at New Orleans, La. Himself and 
wife are members of the INIethodist Episcopal 
Church. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity 
and ii. A. R. Politically he is a Republican, and 
has held the offices of Township Trustee, Road Su- 
pervisor and School Director several terms. He 
owns eighty' acres of good land on section 1 1 . 
which IS in a fine state of cultivation and well im- 
proved. Mr. Howell is highlj- respected as a man 
of sterling worth and integrity-. 







^- 



3^ LFREI) BARR came to Iowa in 1854, and 
'^/ull now owns a good homestead in Adams 
Township, of which he has been an hon- 
,^jj, oi-cd resident for raan^' j'ears. He wa> 

born in Pickaway- Countj', Ohio. Oct. 15, 1815, and 
lived in the Buckeye State until he wjis fifteen 
years of age, then removed with his parents to 
Indiana, and resided until 1854. He received care- 
ful training and a good common-school education ; 
after reaching manhood he was married, Nov. 9, 
1841, to ]Miss Maria Marciuis, a native of Darke 
Count}', Ohio, and born in 1823. Of this union 
there were born six children : Ziba L. was killed at 
Corinth, Miss., by the accidentjvl discharge of a re- 
volver, which was being cleaned by his messmate; 
the ball entered his side and his death was instan- 
taneous; Smith M. wa.< elected .Sheriff of Mahaska 
County in 1878, and held the oHice four terms; 
upon the expiration of his last term of service, Jan. 
1, 188G, he was chosen Warden of the penitentiary 
at Ananiosa, Iowa, and at present fills that posi- 
tion; Marq. Barr. as he is generallj' known, had 



li. 



M 



y 








FT^:- 



^»9 



^xa-irxi-imixiJnxix»u>«: 



^ 



cipi 






s ik^dj ' 



I n irmrrrm riT3 ^ 



us 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



at I 



achieved an envialilo reputation a* Sheriff, and 
few, if any, peace officers were more courageous or 
efficient than he; in his new position as Warden he 
is displaying equally line executive ability as officer 
and discii)liiiarian ; Moses S. lives in Adams Town- 
ship; Mary M. is tile wife of W. H. Sleutii. and re- 
sides in Indiana; Carlton B. is a guai'd in the State 
Penitentiary at Aiiamosa ; J^aura P. is the wife of 
M. 1). (Tilchrist, County Treasurer of Mahaska 
County, and resides in Oskaloosa. 

Mr. Barr, upon coming to this State, entered a 
quarter section of land, and he afterward doul)led 
his possessions. The home farm consists of ItJO 
acres of excellent land in good cultivation, and 
upon which the improvements are first class. Po- 
liticallj' our subject is a Republican, and has for 
yeai's been recognized as one of the wise and pru- 
dent counselors of his party. Mr. Barr is a man 
of fine business ability, and has made life a success 
by the exercise of good judgnient in the manage- 
ment of his atfairs. He is recognized as a leader, 
both socially and ])olitically, and ranks among the 
progressive farmers of the county. His home is 
a hospitable place where maj' always be found an 
abundance of good cheer, and the genial [iroprie- 
tor stands deservedly high in the esteem and confi- 
dence of a large circle of acquaintances. 



■'-J!»t^ 



i^i^ 



<tf5<f— 





J. NOE, deceased, late of Harrison Township, 
was a farmer and shoemaker residing on 
section 7. He was born in Ohio, .Tune 7. 
l.SK), and was a son of .Jonathan and Catherine 
(Parker) Xoe, both of whom are now deceased, the 
former dying in Ohio, and the latter in this State. 

Tlie sul)ject of this sketch was united in mar- 
riage, Nov. 14, 18.31), with Miss Lydia D. Zornes, 
born Jan. 26, 1820, in Fleming County. Kj'., and a 
daughter of William S. and Christina (Oilbert) 
Zornes, both of whom died in Indiana, whither 
they had removed from their native State. To 
Mr. and Mrs. Xoi' were born eleven children: 
Effle J., Christina. William B., Serren W., George 
W. (deceased). .Jacob P.. .lonathan C, Sarah E., 
Xancj' C, Henry B. and Thomas (i. Their father 



died March 2, 187S, and is buried in Sand Ridge 5 
Cemetery, in Harrison Township. He was a member > 
<jf the .ATethodist Episcopal Church, with whicii his 
widow is yet connected. The family are the owners 
of a farm of ninety-one acres, mxui which there is 
the be.st class of improvements. The land is in an 
excellent state of cultivation, and devoted to gen- 
eral farming. 




f,EV. .JAMES W. LAMBERT, Pastor of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church at New Sharon, g; 
is a native of Red Creek, Randolph Co., W. 



■^Va., and was born Jan. 24, 18.50, and is the 



son of Nathan J. and Jemima (Bonar) I^ambert. 
The early life of the suljject of this sketch was 
passed on the farm, and during those years he re- 
ceived his education at private schools, and lieiiig 
inclined to books, and of studious habits, made 
rapid [irogi'ess. In the sixteenth j'ear of his age 
he became converted, and united w'ith the Method- 
ist Episcopal Church in Wirt Count}-, W. ^'a., and | 
when seventeen, becoming convinced that it was his 
duty to enter the ministry, commenced preparing 
himself for the work before him. He was aijpointed 
a Class-Leader when seventeen years old, licensed as 
an exhorter at eighteen, and to preach at twenty, 
and was admitted to the traveling connection in 
the West Virginia Conference of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, March 21, 1 877. He was ordained F 
a Deacon Oct. 13, 1878, J^y Bishop W. L. Harris, 
and an Elder by Bishop J. P. Peck, Oct. 17, 1880. 
Before he was admitted to the conference as a 
traveling preacher, he taught school for about four 
years. He oi'gauized Randolph Mission in AA'est 
Virginia, and traveled it two years as a supply, was 
stationed at Centerville three 3ears, Parkersburg ^t 
Circuit three years, Ravenswood two years, and g|[ 
Elizabeth, nine months, from which latter place he 
was transferred by Bishop Merrill to the Iowa Con- 
ference, was appointed as a snppl}- to New Sharon, || 
two months before Conference, and was returned 
to the same work Sept. 10, 188.i. 3 

Rev. Mr. Lambert, on Oct. 23, 1«70, at New g 
Interest, Randolph Co., West Va., was united gt-; 
in the hoi}' bonds of matrimonj' with Sue M. Ji; 



xxxixxzxzxTxmzxt 



Wc!.-'-'-"^ 









\:: 






X : 



Sehuonuver, a nativi- of Raiululi.ii Cuuiity, jiikIIm.iii 
Jan. N. l.s.>I. Of this union llieie have been burn 
five children: The eldest, J.illie L., died at the age 
of eighteen months: flio>o living are Nathan J., 
Klavius \y., Harry 11. and Lulu May. Mr. Lambert 
became a member of the Masonic fraternity at New 
Siiaron. He is also an active member of the 1. O. 
of G. T. He was one of tlie first to promote the 
cause of prohibition in West \'irginia. and since 
coming to this State, lias not abated his zeal in tiie 
cause. 



I). I'RIC'E, a highly esteemed resident of 
II Black Oak Township, and one of the i)io- 
neers of 1857, is a native of Ohio, born in 
Stark County, May 8, 1827. His father, John 
Price, was a native of the .State of New York, and 
a farmer by occupation, but in the later years of 
his life became a preacher of the Gospel in the 
Methodist Episcopal Church. He came to Iowa in 
18.^0, and entered lands in Keokuk and Tama 
Counties, but during the same year chose Mah.aska 
County as a permanent home, and made this his 
place of residence until his death, which occurred 
in 18.58. His wife, formerly Miss Sarah Farber, the 
mother of our subject, was, like her husband, a na- 
tive of the Empire State, but was married in Ohio, 
and resided there until her death, which took place 
in 1848. They were the parents of ten children, of 
whom two daughters died in infancy. p:ight chil- 
dren attained their majority, and Ave are yet liv- 
ing: .John is a resident of Scott Township; Ma- 
ria, now Mrs. Walker, lives at Defiance, Ohio; 
Benjamin F. lives in Cohn-ado; Lorenzo D. is tht' 
subject of___this sketch, and Margaret is the wife of 
Adam Laughlin, of .Scott Townsiiip. 

L. 1). Price received a common-school educa- 
tion, and when he attained his majority commenced 
to learn the |)ainter's trade, but his health not per- 
mitting him to engage in this, he changed his trade 
to that of carpenter. He was united in marriage 
with Miss Mary J. Woods, Oct. U;. 18.50. Mrs. 
Price is a native of Summit County. Ohio, and 
born Oct. 2, 1831. Her father, Robert Woods, 
was also lioin in Ohio, and a miner by occupation. 



Her mother. .Mary (Davis) Woods, was a native of 
Pennsylvania. 

Mr. .md .Mis. Price l)ecaiue the parents of twelve 
children, two of wiiom rlied in infancy, and ten are 
now living: William H. resides in Butler County, 
Neb., and owns a half interest in the David City 
Tribune, tiie leading Republican paper of the 
county; iiis wife, formerly IVliss Anna Wilder, was 
born in the State of New York; tiiey have one 
ciiild, a .son. Sarah .1. is the wife of D. L. Bowman, 
of Black Oak Township; Mary Price, after attaining 
her majority, went to Nebniska, and for some time 
was engaged in the printing-office with her brother, 
but afterward clerked in a dry -goods store, and 
since 1885 has carried on dressmaking very suc- 
cessfully. .Tames V. is the second of the sons living; 
Alice is the wife of L. S. Walker; Cordelia and 
Lincoln came next in order of birth; John and 
Frank are twins; Alonzo is the youngest. 

In politics Mr. Price has always been a stanch 
supporter of the princijilcs of the Republican party. 
Himself and wife are members of the Methodist 
P^piscopal Church, with which he has been actively 
connected since 1S44. Mr. Price possesses all the 
elements which constitute the true man, and crowns 
them all with a consistent Christian character. 






li 



ys'itwtivrfrsi 

eRAWFORD \y. KENTFIELD, who came 
into Iowa in his youth, while it was still a 
Territory, is now an extensive farmer, stock- 
raiser and shipper, residing on section 32, AMiite 
Oak Township. He was born in Vermont, Sept. 
10, 1829, being the son of Charles and Tri- 
phosa (Graves) Kentfield, who emigrated from the 
Green Mountain State to Wapello County, Iowa, 
arriving there Jan. 1, 1845. After a residence of 
one year tliey came to Mahaska County, and re- 
majned until their death. The parental household 
included six children — Crawford W., R. H., C. Z., 
E. M., M. J., and Bradford, deceased. 

The subject of this sketch was married, Oct. 18, 
1849, to Miss Margaret J. Brooks, and by this un- 
ion there were four children: Alice, born .Sept. 12, 
1850; Mary, Fel). l.J, 1853: Albert. .March 30, 






KJJki 1K.')G, imd .Jessie, Nov. 14, 18(}1. The mother of 
^^ these chiklreii died Oc-t. 7, ISO^. 

Mr. KentHeld was the second time married, to 
JMrs. Nancy A. Kjirton, ni'c Rosnell, and they be- 
came the parents of one cliilrt, Iowa Elta, liorn Oct. 
29, 187(1. Mr. and .Mrs. Kentfleld are members of 
the ^lethodist Ki)iscoi»al Church, and the political 
affiliations of our subject are with the Republican 
part}'. His lionie farm consists of 200 acres of ex- 
cellent land, all under fence, in the best possible 
state of cultivation and with first-class improve- 
ments. II is dwelling is tasteful and commodious, 
and his barn and out-buildings ample and well 
adapted to the nature of his business. He has a 
fine tirchard, containing a general assortment of all 
kinds of fruit trees liest adapted to this climate, all 
the trees of which are in good bearing condition 
•■nid are j'ielding well. 

Mr. Kenttield's specialtj* is that of raising, feed- 
ing and shipping cattle, in which he has been suc- 
cessfull}- engaged. He has grown with the growth 
of this county from its earliest settlement, and has 
achieved his prosperity b}- energv, industry and 
excellent management. Personally he is a gentle- 
man of great worth, and highly esteemed as citi- 
zen, friend and neighbor. 




RION C. SCOTT, Superintendent of the City 
1 Schools of Oskaloosa, is a native of Belmont 
County, Ohio, where he was born Jul}' 14, 
18.")l. He is a son of Rev. G. M. and Hadassah J. 
(Cotton) Scott. The father was born in Guernsey 
County, and Mrs. Scott in .lefferson County, Ohio. 
The sul)jcct of this sketch was reared in Ohio, but 
came witii his parents in the fall of 18G.J to Tipton, 
Cedar Co., Iowa, where he attended the High 
School. In the fall of l.sci) lie went to Marshall- 
j town, Iowa, where during the winter he attended 
1 the High School of that city, its Principal being 
Hon. P. M. Suttou,''present State Senator. 

In the spring and summer of 1870, Mr. .Scott 
f-. taught his first school, ten miles east of Marshall- 
town, and in the fall of that year, in company with 
two young men of that city, I). A. Holmes and Va\- 
ward AVillignxl, lie attended the academical de- 



pnrtmcut of the. State University at Iowa City. In 
1 S72-73, he taught district school, and in the summer 
and fall of 1 874, he was in the ofHcc of Train De- 
spatcher of the Central Iowa Railway at Marshall- 
town, Iowa. He then resumed teaching in Marshall 
County until the fall of 1S7.5, when he was selected 
as Assistant Principal of the High School of Oska- 
loo.sa, and in 1X71; was elected Principal at an in- 
creased salary. He again returned to the Univer- 
sity, where he spent two years, graduating in .June, 
1878. After his graduation, he accepted a call at ; 
Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa, to take charge of the i 
schools which he had attended several years before. 
In February. 1882, he resigned his position at Tip- 
ton to accept the principalship of the High School 
at O.skaloosa, and filled that position until the sum- 
mer of IS.si;, when he was elected upon the first 
ballot and liy the nuamious vote of the School 
Board, to the position of .Superintendent of the 
City Schools, succeeding Prof. Homer II. Seerley, 
now Principal of the State Normal School at Cedar 
Falls, Iowa. 

Mr. Scott has been a member of the State Teach- 
ers' Association for ten years, missing only one of 
its annual gatherings in that time, and that in the 
year 1884, when in company with Mr. C. P. Rogers 
and a delegation of teachers, they visited the ^\'orld's 
Fair at New Orleans. For eleven years he has been 
actively engaged in conducting Normal Institutes, 
and during the past four years has conducted 
the graded Normal Institute of .Jefferson County. 
The present year (1887) he is conducting the Nor- 
mal Institute in Clarke Count}', and assists in the 
graded Normal Institute of this county. 

.Snpt. Scott took the full collegiate and Normal 
courses in the Iowa State University, receiving the 
degree of A. B. upon his graduation, that t)f Bache- 
lor of Didactics in 1880. and the degree of A. M. 
in 1881. He was married at Brooklyn, Poweshiek 
Co., Iowa, .lune 20,1879, to Miss Mary, daugh- 
ter of Thomas and Rachel M. ((hiernsey) Flagler, 
of New York. She was born in Niagara County, N. 
Y., in November, 1)S."H. The marriage ceremony was 
performed by the father of Prof. Scott, assisted by 
Prof. .S. N. Fellows, of the State University. Of 
this union there are four children — Harolil O., 
Mabel E., Ralph C. and Bertha ,M. 



I:KH1 




KFV-Fr-r. 



^^c^ 



Jl 



![^,— l^^g^^' 




'"K^T^F^Kf 



^^^ae-g^= 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



451 









-: Politically Mr. Scott is a ReiJuMicaii. llo is a 
; ineiiilpcr nf the Ma,-iuiiic fratcniityand of tlie Legion 
c i>f Honor. Mr. and Mrs. Scolt are nienil)cr,s ol" the 
I Congregational Cluirrh. As a teacher, I'rof. Scott 
^ ranks .'iniong the al)le eilncatovs of the Slate, and 

he owes his present [)ositioii solely to his ability as 

an instrnctor. 



-0- 



^i-J^ 



fOEL HHINKV, one of the well-to-do farmers 
of Mahaska County, resides upon section 
14, Adams Townslii[). He is a native of 
Ohio, liorn in Darke County, .Inly 22. 1840, 
ijE and is the son of .John I), and .lane (Schenck) 
\-,Z Briney, who were also natives of the Buckeye State. 
i:£ When Joel was but ten j-ears old the family came 
1='; to this countv and located in Adams Township, 
i;| where his father died .Ian. o, I 8.S2. aged eighty-four 
V'.i years, two months, and twenty-one d.aj's. His 
\-z mother is still livins' in Adams Township, having 

{];; ^ IB 

arrived at a good old age, and waiting for the suni- 

:| mons to "come up higher" and join her loved 

; companion who jjreceded her. .John D. Briney 

i^z was a blacksmith by trade, but only worked at this 

1 -is 

V:i occivsionallv after coming to Iowa, making farming 

' his principal work. Both iiarents were devoted 

V: meinl>ersof the Methodist Episcoi)al Church. Thej' 

had a family of twelve children, of whom 



even 
Jacob, a farmer resid- 



are now living, as follows 
ing in Adams Township; 
CephaCamblin, of Van Buren Connt3% Iowa; Char 



1;; ing in Adams Township; Hannah is the wife of 

I „ 

I : lotte, who married Frank IJichards, now resides in 

} ; Kans.as; Penina, wife of Jacob (ioode, lives in 
Adams Township; Joel, the subject of this sketch; 
Alexander lives in A<lains Township; .ind Anilrew 
J., in Kansixs. 

Joel Briney was reared upon a farm and educated 
in the common schools of his native State and of 
Iowa, He remained at home, assisting his father 
in the improvement of his farm until his marriage, 
Oct. -io, 1«04, with Miss Klizabeth, daughter of 
Lilburn B, and Miranda (Stringfeilow) Hoberts, 
when he removed with his young bride to his pres- 
ent residence. The home farm consists of .'iiO acres 




of improved land, with sha|)ely and substantial 
buildings. 

Mr. and Mrs. Briney have live living chil- 
dren: Charles A., born Aug. 2. IsOi;; William F., 
Feb. 12, 1869: Miranda J., Jan. 12, 1871; John 
N., Dec. 31, 1872: Lenna P.. Dec. 1, 1879. One 
child died in infancy. 

iMrs. Briney is a mendjcr of the Ba[)tist Church. 
Politically Mr. B. is a Democrat, and while caring 
nothing for ofllce, has been honored bj' the voters 
of his townshii) with several of the hjcal ollices. 
He is a good farmer, an excellent citizen, and en- 
joys the respect and confidence of those who know 
him. 



^^AMIEL KXOWLTON. a highly esteemed 
resident of Union Township, owns and oc- 
cupies a fine farm estate of 600 acres, and 
in his beautiful home is surrounded liy all 
the comforts and many of the luxuries of life. He 
was born in Franklin County, Me., Aug. 28, 1 822, 
and removed with his parents to Ohio when a boy 
of ten years, in 1 832. 

After reaching years of manhood, he was mar- 
ried, in 184.'), to Jliss Julia A. Hadlej', of Clinton 
County, Ohio. To them twelve children were 
born, eight of whom are living: Olive Ann is the 
wife of William H. Needham, editor and i)roprletor 
of the Sigourney yeua; Mar\-, Mrs. K. C. Najdor, 
resides in Des Moines; Charles F. is editor of the 
Osborne (Kan.) Jnuninl; Anna, the wife of L. B. 
Christman, lives in Linn County, Iowa; Ella is a 
polic\' writer for the State Insurance Compan3- at 
Des Moines; Edwin, Miiuiie and Cora are at home; 
Sherman, Simon, Uosa and Emma are deceased ; 
IJosa married G. A. Webster, of Des Moines: Emma 
married J. C. Ciritman. of Linn Count}-. The 
mother of these children died Jan. 17, 1882, and 
Dec. 13, 1883, Mr. Knowltou espoused as his sec- 
ond wife -Mrs. Harriet J. Ellis. 

Mr. Knowltou was a passenger on the tirst train 
of cars ever run out of the citj' of Cincinnati, Ohio. 
He came to this State in 1.S6.5, and located in the 
cit}' of Oskaloosa, residing there for a jieriod of 
eight years, engaged in business, and then renioveil 
to his present farm in Inion Town>liip. His land 




ill 



m 

m 

lij! 



\ 



im 



1 
1 



m 



iii 



W 



lis 



iJi 



Y'-i. 

Ki'ii 




ijTTCirrtTnxirmnrxLim'' 



r J rrnii nrm mn iTxxii xiriu "> 



Eii 



452 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



;a 



is nnrler good cultivation, with first-class improve- 
ments, and all the appliances required bj- a modern 
agriculturist. 

Politicall}- Mr. Ivnowlton is a Republican, and 
was elected 113^ his part}' in I'nion Township, as a 
memljer of the Countj' Board of Supervisors, in 
which he served from lH7ti to 1879. filling the 
position in a most creditable manner. He possesses 
the Yankee characteristic of knowing how to make 
mcme}' as well as how to save it, and brings to the 
discharge of his business and social obligations, 
jl abilit}^ of a superior order, which has placed him 
among the jirosperous and representative farmers 
of tliis countv. 




^ (4. WELCH, a prosperous farmer and stock- 



SiO 



raiser of Harrison Township, residing on 
section 'i.j, was born in Ohio, Aug. l!i, l.s3(), 
and is a son of .Tolm and .Margaret (Gilmore) 
AVelch, both of whom were of Irish descent. The 
former was a farmer and stoclv-grower, but was liv- 
ing a retired life at the time of his death, which 
took place in 1.S81, at Cadiz, Ohio. His widow- 
still survives, and lives in that city. 

The subject of this sketch, F. G. Welch, was mar- 
ried, Sept. 13, 18()(), to Miss Margaret .Simpson, 
and b}' this marriage two children were born — 
J>avenge and Omar .S. 'J'iieir mother died March 
21, 1874, and .Sept. 12, isTtl.he was again married. 
Miss A. E. Slemmons becoming his wife. To them 
^i^ have been born three children — Annie, Slemmons 
and Frank. 

ilr. and Mrs. AVelcli are members of the Presby- 
terian Church. He came to this county from Ohio 
in the fall of 180)G, locating in Harrison Township, 
where he owns 430 acres of excellent land, all un- 
L der fence, in a high state of cultivation, and with 
[ first-class improvements. His residence is a fine, 
commodious and well-arranged frame structure. 
1" He has four convenient and properly arranged 
barns and otlier necessary out-buildings, for the 



1 1 

I I 




i y,SS'M P''<jper care of his stock and grain. 




Politically Mr. Welch is a Republican, and has 
served his neighbors as Township Trustee <.)ue term, 
School Treasurer for several terms and Township 



Assessor. No other evidence of the character of 
the man needs to be brought forward tlian that of 
the condition of his fine farm, which clearly indi- 
cates energy, industry, excellent management and 
rare good judgment. Personally Mr. Welcii is a 
high-minded, honorable gentleman, and stands high 
in tiic esteem of his friends and acquaintances. 



-*- 



Vi 



W. ZARIN(_i is a farmer and stock-grower 
on section ',1, Cedar Township, and was born 
in Mahaska County. .Ian. ',), 1850. He is a 
son of John and Martha (Little) Zaring. 
(See their biograi)hy elsewhere.) Mr. Zaring was 
married on the 12tli of December, 1874, to Martha 
.1. Mills, wlio was born in Henderson County, Ind., 
JIarch 2.J, 18.52. She is a daughter of David T. 
and Emily S. (Hingiiani) Mills. Her father is liv- 
ing in this township, but her mother died in 1857. 
Mr. and Mi's. Zaring are the parents of two chil- 
dren; Stella E., born Dec. 10, 1875, and Lillie. .Inly 
9, 1878. They are members of the Methodist Epis- 
copal Cliurch. 

Politically JMr. Zaring is a Republican, and has 
held the office of Road .Supervisor. He owns eighty 
acres of good laml, all in cultivation and well iin- 
pi'ov«d. He is a good faiiner, cultivates the soil 
tiioroughly and understandingly, manages well and 
is economical, ami is fairly successful. He comes 
of good stock, and, like his father l)efore him, en- 
joj's the conttdencc and esteem of a host of ac- 
quaintances. 



.-r-^\ 


1 








ml 




YRON V. SEE\'ERS, attorney at law, and a 
resident of Oskaloosa, is a son of Robert 
l>e/'/f' ''^"'' Ellen (Bryant) Seevers, and was liorn in 
^^^ Coshocton County, Ohio, March 3, 1847. 
The father of our subject was in early life a por- 
trait i)aintcr, but later engaged in the nursery busi- 
ness and also at farming. He was a native of Bel- 
mont County, Ohio, born Dec. 9, 1807, and is now 
residing near the southeast part of Oskaloosa. Our 
subject's mother was born Aug. 14, 1825, in Ohio, 
and is yet living. Three children were born of the 









1^1 



W'F'T^i^r, 



r^^^^^^T 




il 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



453 



parental union: George AV., an attorney of Des 
}^K Moineti, Io\v:i; Byron V., our subject, anfl William 
A., a grocer of Oskaloosa. 

Wiien our subject was but six years old liis i)ar- 
ent* came to this cciunty. and purciiased KiO acres 
where they now live. Young .Seevers attended the 
common schools of Oskaloosa until I SdT, when iu' 
supplemented the education received therein by 
matriculating at Franklin College, Oliio, and after 
following the curriculum of that institution until 
June, 1«7"J, he graduated therefrom with honors. 
Hetuniing to his home in UsknloosM, Mr. Seevers 
3 entered liie law offlee of I.atferty t(- .bjhnson, and 
2 studied jurisprudence under tiieir instruction for 
S about two months. He was admitted to practice 
E iu 187;'), and energetically followed the iiractice of 
hi : iiis profession until LSfSO. He was in [iartnership 
K; : with Mr. J. O. Malcolm until March, l<ssi). when he 
(Ij S was elected Maj'or of Oskaloosa. and since tliat 
i'-^ lime has not opened an ottlce. 

•{I.; .Mr. Seevers was married at Oskaloosa. to Miss 
Laura, daughter of William T. and Magda Cue, 
.Ian. 1, 1X74. Mrs. S. was born at Oskaloosa April 
5, 1851, and has borne our subject four children, 
three of whom are yet living: Ada L., born Nov. 
= 2(j, 1874; Mildred B., April 30, 1»77, and Lucile 
.M., May s, l.s.s;!. The deceased was an infant uu- 
uanicd. In the falls of 1.S77-79, Mr. Seevers was 
nominatetl by the Democratic party for the State 
Legislature, and ran ahead of his ticket, but was not 
successful. 



m 



Ri: 




ti 

nj : 

ik ? 

1 : 

1 c 

I : 
I : 
I : 
ij ; 
li : 
i : 
i:: 
1 : 

i;: 
!•; 



^ 



f,OBKRT J. .SOU LTS, an intelligent and en- 
terprising young farmer of Pleasant (irove 
Township, was born in Mahaska County, 
^ Feb. 1 4, 1 863, being the son of Joseph and 
Anna (Bell) Soults, both natives of Ireland. (See 
their biogiai)hy elsewhere in this volume.) (Jur 
subject was reared to habits of industry, and care- 
fidly fitted for the duties and responsibilities of life. 
After reaching manhood he was niarrie<l, Feb. 20, 
1X80, to Miss liena F.,a daughter of John Darlaiul. 
By this nuirriage there has been one child. M.uid 
I)., born .tan. •>:>, 1X84. 

.Mr. .Soults is the owner of 22x :icre.- of good 
laud in an exci'llcnl sl;ile of < iiltivatiun. and with the 



■ IlXXZlltl lilt til Jill iTliB^^B 



best class of improvements. He has already an 
excellent start in life, and displays an aliility in the 
management of his business affairs much bej'ond 
his yeai's and experieni'e. It is perfectly safe to 
prophesy that if no serious misfortune should occur 
to him, hv will in the neai- future take a leading po- 
sition among the prominent agriculturists of the 
county. He possesses intelligence and ability of a 
high order, and these, coupled with his energy, ac- 
tivity and [jrudence, will undoubtedly insure his 
success. His genial disposition has gained for him 
a host of friends, who esteem him for his man3' ex- 
cellent qualities of head and heart. He has a pleas- 
ant home and an amiable companion, and friends 
and acquaintances are always siire of a hospitable 
welcome iu the dwelling, which in all its appoint- 
ments indicates refined tastes and ample means. 



^Tr^.OBERT MITCHFLL. proprietor of a valua- 
j!^-' ble farm 800 acres in extent, resides on 
Ji \\\ section 17, Madison Township, and ranks 
^P)as a pioneer of 1851. He was born in Parke 
Count}-, Ind., JIarch IU, 183(j. His father. Jacob 
Mitchell, was a native of Pennsylvania, and a far- 
mer by. occupation. His mother. Mar}' (Scott) 
Mitchell, was a native of the North of Ireland. In 
1851 the family came to Iowa and located in Madi- 
son Township, where the father died iu 1 X59, and the 
mother in 18(55. There were six children in the 
family: Martha, the wife of Amos Hodges, resides 
in Kansas; John W. lives iu this township; Isabella, 
Mrs. Jackson AVorley. also lives in Kansas; Jane, 
the wife of Andrew Bartlett, in Prairie Township, 
this county; Daniel died in 18(i0, at the age of 
twenty-six years. 

Robert was reared u[)on the farm, received a 
common-school education, and came to Iowa with 
his parents. In 18G4 he was united in nuirriage 
with Miss Elma. the daughter of Hiram and Jerusha 
Beal. whose biography see elsewhere in this vobune. 
Mr. .Old Mrs. Mitchell became the parents of four 
children, two of whom died in childhood; those 
living are Jacob and .lerusha. 

riie i)resent farm of our subject i> :ili in :i high 
state of iidti\ation. with improvcment> >econd to 




;;l 



hM 



i:ra 



il 




ir 







xxixuLtmti 



:TrrTmi.i 



454 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



3;n 



Oj'l; 



none in that portion of the county, and largely de- 
voted to stock-raising. That Mr. Mitchell has 
made life a success in a financial way is evidenced 
l\y his ample possessions. These have not been at- 
tained without a straggle, and are the result of toil 
and a wise and excellent management. Robert 
Michell is known throughout the borders of tlie 
county, and ranks as a citizen of the first class. 
'I'here aie no men more honorable and high- 
|.; [I minded, none of stricter integrit}', none more 
jl !: ; jl generous and hospitable, and it is not to be wou- 
[iMijjl dered that such a man stands high in the esteem of 
his friends and acquaintances. 



•>-^>t^^^>t^j^^>^*,^-n^i^^ 






in 






mm 




a 



hiS 



'^ ARRY BRI-:WER, an Iowa pioneer of 1.S42, 
and one of the best known citizens of Des 
Moines Township, owns and occupies a 
valuable farm estate of 340 acres located on 
section 12. He is a native of Chenango County, 
X. Y., born Nov. 19, 1815, and is a son of Henry 
and Lucinda (Johnson) Brewer, both natives of the 
Kni|)ire State. His grandfather, John Brewer, was 
a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and was one of 
the early settlers of New York. The father of 
Harry was by trade a wagt)n-niaker and carpenter. 
In 1834 the family came west, and located in Ful- 
ton County, 111. Thej- only remained there about 
tliree months, during wiiich time the elder Brewer 
worked at carpentering in Canton, while Harr^' 
worked for a Mr. Rose, at Farmington, the same 
length of time. The family then moved to Ster- 
ling, Whiteside Co., 111., where the parents sub- 
sequentl}' died. Harrj' remained at Sterling until 
the spring of 1842, when lie came to Van Buren 
Count}', Iowa, and remained one j-ear. In the last 
jj fi week of April, 1843, he came to Mahaska County, 
S»J*i and camped on Muehachinoek Creek, where he now 
lives. In company with three other men, with 
some provisions and an ax carefullj^ concealed in 
a pack, he was permitted to pass the outposts of 
the soldiers into the count}', but with the promise 
^£H^ ''^^^ ^'^ would do no work until the expiration of 
the Indian title on the 30th day of April, 1843. 

On arriving here our subject found on the place 
a small Indian hut inaiU' of (xJes, which he used as 





his home for three weeks, or until he could get a 
cabin built. A large tract of land was claimed by 
Mr. Brewer and the three already mentioned, 
which they divided up into four quarters, drawing 
lots for the choice, Mr. Brewer drawing the quarter 
section on which he now lives. For several weeks 
after he came U> this county he made his bread 
with flour and water, without salt, cooking it in a 
piece of elm bark before the fire. After the Indians 
left the country, Mr. Brewer proceeded to improve 
his claim, breaking ten acres of land the first year. 
At this time he had but two j'oke of oxen, a few 
articles of houseliold furniture, and was ^25 in 
debt. He lived in the log cabin which he first 
erected for one yeai^ with neither floor nor door. 
On tiie 13th day of March, 1844, Mr. Brewer, 
finding it not good to be alone, was united in mar- 
riage with Miss Helen M., a daughter of William 
C. and Sarah (Hill) Adams. She was born in 
Licking County, Oliio, while her parents were na- 
tives of Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Brewer have 
had nine children, seven of whom are now living: 
Sarah E., born Feb. 24, 1845, is now the wife of 
Finley McGrew, of \a\i Buren Country; William 
Henry, born Oct. 17,1847. died April 21, 18()3; 
George W., born Feb. 22, 1850, is in the mercan- 
tile business at Given; Frank P.. l>orn Oct. 26, 
1852, and Edward I).. Feb. 20, 1855, are re- 
siding in Jefferson Township; Lucius W.. born 
Aijril llj, 1858, is engaged in farming in Dallas 
County, Iowa; Mary Florence, born Septeml)er 29, 
18G0, died in September, 18(i2 ; John Elmer, born 
Aug. 11, 1807, and Albert II., May 13, 1870, 
reside at home with their parents. Mr. and Jlrs. 
Brewer are members of the Methodist P^piscopal 
Church. Harry Brewer has been honored Ijy his 
fellow-citizens with various local offices, serving 
two terms as Justice of the Peace and four terms as 
Township Trustee. He believes in seeing something 
of the world, and has made three trijjs to California. 
In the winter of 1885-86, he visited the World's 
Exposition at New Orleans. Success has li(.)unti- 
fully attended him. He has given three of his sons 
good farms, and still has his ample and beautiful 
homestead upon which to pass his declining years. 
He came to this county a poor man, and what he 
has attained has been secured b}' industry, econ. 



5^1 

!':h 



3"; I 



I 



1 



in 



Sn J 



El 

El 



El 



35' 



£1 



1! 



11 

Kl 




■L ; 
v.: 

1.: 
I 

I 



'tS"HHr^f7't^,' 



f-rr?7^r1 



}jr: first settlors of tli( 



(iniy 



and good in;inagenieiit. Being one of tlie 
t'ountv. it can well be seen 
}i| that he has endured all the toils and ))riv!iti(>iis nf 
Ji^3 pioneer life, while living l< 



lint Ihrduulidut the State 



and 



Jiit county 

jl'; That his last da_>-5« here upon earth may he 

1 
1. 
M him 




A\1I) C. WA(;(H)M<:K is a prominent 

i' young attorney of Oskaloosa, and a son of 

John Waggoner, one of the earlier settlers 

of the countJ^ He was born in the city 

Hlg where he was reared and educated, Nov. Ill, l.so6. 

;5 lie received an excellent education, having the ad- 

il vantages afforded by the cit\- High Schools and 

;1J I'enn College. On arriving at the age of manhood 




MAHASKA COUNTY. 



witness the great 



Nation. 

his best 



rj: and happiest is the wish of everyone who knows 



I 
1 
I 
1 
i; 

iii:? he had marked out his course in life, wliich was in 

1: 

I 

i; 
I 
I 
I 

I 
I 

i: 

i; 



E the line of the legal profession. To carry out this 
determinatic>n he began the study of law with John 
iJS F. Lace}'. After very thorough training under 
S that gentleman, he was admitted to the bar in l)e- 
:; cember, l.s.so, since which time he has been an act- 
ive, honored member of the Mahaska County bar. 
f? For a time he was in partnership with W. H. Need- 
ham. This connection, which ran from Jan. .5, 
[i|f2 \Wl, terminated March .So, 1883, since which time 
i:| Mr. W. has been alone. He is a memlier of the 
ii£ I. O. O. F., and politicallj'a Re{)ublican. 

i:.f 



1 

]-i 

1 
1 



}3C Carroll Country, Ind., Jan 



^/OHN .MITCHKLL, a wealthy and inllucntial 
farmer of Madison Townsliip, i< une of the 
pioneers of IS;');}, and a sou of Jacob and 
Mary (Scott) Mitchell. He was born in 
t, ls;'.o. He removed 
JiJ with the family from Carroll to I'aike County, and 
il;J remained with them until 18.50, when he crossed the 
|Lt plains of the Great American Desert to California, 
Jr; and followed mining until 18.T.'i. He then came to 
ji^: this ciiunty. whither the family in the meantime had 
Jri; removed. In I .s.")4 he ayaiu went to the (miMch 
{;s Slate, remaining uimu tlic Pacilic Slope until 1 .sdo. 



Si.7 




and then came back to Iowa. In ls(;i he was 
united in marriage with Miss Eveline Hower, a 
daughter of Daniel and Susan Hower. .Vfter his 
marriage he settled on section :i of Madison Town- 
ship, where he still resides. 

Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell are the parents of nine 
children — Llewellyn, Klmer K.. Ollie. Kdna .1., 
Anson B., Amy, Addie, John 15. and May. In his 
political alliliations our subject belongs to the Re- 
|)ublican party, and is also a member of the Masonic 
fraternity. He is one of the largest land-owners 
of this section, being the proprietor of over 1,000 
acres. His land is principally devoted to stock- 
raising, in which business Mr. Mitchell occupies a 
leading positit)n among the farmers of Mahaska 
County. He is a most estimable citizen in all re- 
spects, full}' deserving of the esteen) and confidence 
of his neighbors and business associates. Life with 
him must be as far as possible a success, and he has 
been to a great extent the architect of his own for- 
tune. The abilit}' to plan and execute, coml)ine(l 
with clear-headed management and prudent fore- 
sight, are the elements that have contributed to his 
present enviable condition, both socially and finan- 
cially, while his integrit}' an<l uprightness have coni- 
niended liiu] niorall}' to the respect of all wi}o know 
iiini. 



I I 
I I 

u 



-^~* 



iU- 



-^ 



'lows M. JANNKV, of the lir ( A. A. 

Taine it Co., wholesale dealers in Hour ;in<l 
fruit at Oskaloosa, first took up his re>i- 
dence in Mah.aska County in November, 
18.")(), and has Continued to reside uitliiii her lior- 
ders until the present time. He was born in Lou- 
doun County, \'a., March 21, 182-2, and is a son of 
Aaron and Elizabeth (W^'nn) Janney. The [)ar- 
ents were Mrgiuians by birth and of English de- 
scent, and the family were among the earliest set- 
tlers of Baltimore, .Md. 

John M. Jauney removed to W'arren County, 
Ohio, with his parents when ten years of age, and 
was reared in that Stale to agricultural i)ursnits. 
He received a common-school educatit)n in Ohio, 
and was married May 21, l.s.'iO, in Warren County, 
that State, to .Mis> Mary A. .lohnsoii, daughter <>( 
riioni.-is .M. and SM>.-in .lohn>on. Mr.-. .I;ninev wa> 



rrj Ib^Mp rar 



^"^r^'P 






wm< 



1i 



m 



^4 W 

(fill 



lit 






1 
1 



Mi! 

'lij: 

il 

n 

' i 



mt 



'¥■ 



I 



n 



mM 






rii';! 






wTtr. r ttr r :t T. 



I 



IP 





TiiiEiimi 



ti tltrtpwwl mjLlI 



O 



unxT rxri_ij mrrxxixii 






I IrTriTnniTirrrrTii 'iKTtiiw ir' g 






456 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



born in Greene County. Ohio, anrt of her union 
with our subject five children have been born, lour 
of whom are living, two sons and two (laughters, 
namel_y : P"i-ank I.., who married Mollie Madigan. of 
Ottumwa, Jowa, and who at i)resent is residing in 
Oskaloosa; Lizzie L., who became the wife of A. A. 
Paine, a business man of Oskaloosa; Grant T. mar- 
ried Miss Lulu Cook, daughter of Dr. Cook, of 
Sigourney, and they are living at Oskaloosa, and 
Clara H. 

As stated. -Mr. .Tannery came to Oskalo(.i,-,a in 
liSoti, and has continued to reside in this city 
until the present time, lie was engaged in run- 
ning a transfer line until February, 1884, when he 
formed a partnership with Mr. Paine, which still 
exists. He was a member of the City Council dur- 
ing the years 180(j and 1«(J8, and elected to the 
same position in March, 18«G. He and his good 
wife were both brought u|i in the faith of the (Qua- 
kers, which is, in itself, a sufficient guarantee of his 
honesty, which is corroborated by his past. 



-^ns^^^^^^jn^. 




"(Y'OSKPll .SOULTS, one of the extensive land- 
owners of Pleasant Grove Township, was 
born in County Down. Ireland, in IS28. He 
came to the L'niteil States when a young 
man. in 1S4',), and tirst settled in the .State of Michi- 
gan, where he resided for six years, and thence 
came to this count}', in 18.0r>, and located in Pleas- 
ant (irove Township. In the meantime, Sept. 7, 
1 S.jO, he was united in marriiige with Miss Anna' 
Bell, a native of his own country, and they be- 
came the parents of seven children, of whom the 
record is as follows; Joseph A., William J., and 
Elizabeth, the wife of John VVardrip, are residents 
of Pleasant (Jrove Township; Robert J. is de- 
ceased; Anna B. married Palmer Rumford, of 
Pleasant Grove; Louisa J. is deceased; Koliert .1. 
lives in Pleasant Grove Township. 

When Mr. Soults first came to this county he en- 
tered 1()() acres of land. He was prosperous in his 
farming and business operations, and afterward 
bought a section more. Since that time he has given 
a portion of his land to his children, but is yet 
the owner of ."loO acres, very line and fertile, and 



in an excellent state of cultivation, w-ith improve- 
ments of the best character. His intelligence and 
excellent management have rendered him more than 
ordinarily successful in life. He is a man of the 
strictest integrity, and enjoys the confidence and 
esteem of man}' friends and neighbors. Politically 
he is a live, wide-awake Republican, and takes au 
active interest in the success of his party. Himself «£ 
and wife are consistent and prominent members of B' 
the I'nited Presbyterian Church. 



-^4^^^ 



TzS'S-^ 



Xl 




/^ ILTON WIL.SON, a highly respected farmer 
i\ of Adams Township, is a native of the 



14. Buckeye State, having been born in Lick- 
ing County, May 21, 1811. He arrived 
in Iowa, April 17, 187.5, and located on his pres- 
ent farm in Adams Township, which consists of 180 
acres of land, excellently cultivated and well im- 
proved. 

Mr. Wilson has been twice married ; his first wife. 
Miss Emilj' S. Ackley, was a native of Licking 
County, Ohio. They became the parents of four 
children, of whom Anna and John are deceased; 
Newton lives in Ohio, and Emil}' at home. Mrs. 
Emily S. Wilson departed this life April 1."), 1.S44. 
and Mr. Wilson espoused as his second wife Miss 
Sarah Brown, the marriage rite being performed 
April 2, 1845). Mrs. Sarah Wilson is a native of 
Ohio, born in 1820. B3' her marriage with our sub- 
ject she has become the mother of eight children, 
as follows: Juliette, the wife of George Forsythe, 
lives in Ohio; Cary B., in Adams Township, this 
county ; Elizabeth R. is the wife of Gordner 
Burns, of Nebraska; Amanda J. married John 
Bloomer, now of Indiana; Mary became the wife 
of Charles Hull, of Adams Township; Eliza is the 
wife of Sanford James, of Pleasant Grove Town- 
ship: Almira, Mrs. Henry Snyder, lives in .Vdani? 
Township: Zoa is at home. 

Mr. and Mrs. Wilson and the members of their 
family bek)ug to the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
In his political relati<ms our subject adheres to the 
Repulilican [laity. The home farm of Mr. Wilson 
is a fine both of laud, which by reason of the ex- 



- & 
:;i 

^- 
a 



:-ij 






-It 

Z.:\ 

m 



] ErrxxirxKitinxxnui 



J 






I 



1 1 r-* r* r' r* ^ ' 



Lisiiiiifii) 




='rfF 



i 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 




b:.-_;Jt 



457 




-a 



1:: 

i: 

Ir 
1" 
M': 

\: 
I' 

I 
I 
I 

u. 
li 

i;; 

I. 

u; 

iJ:; 
ij:.; 

1,::: 

i;:S 
t?= 
u : 

li 

1 !: 

I : 

I c 

I.: 

1 : 
1-: 
1 : 
1 : 

I C 

I": 
I c 
i::: 
I : 
I : 

1.: 

1::: 

i:: 

il : 



cellent care he has fjiveii it, and the character of 
the iiuprovcmeiits tliereoii, would really sell for *i50 
l)er acre, and this is but one illustration of the 
fact that raw i>iairie, properly handled by a farmer 
<if brains, energy and industry, is an investment as 
safe and as productive as Government bonds. Mr. 
Wilson is just that kind of a farmer, and has been 
reasonably successful in his chosen calling. In the 
various relations of citizen, friend and neighbor, he 
stands deservedly high in the coutidence and es- 
teem of a large circle of acquaintances and friends. 

DWIN L. VALENTINE, one of the useful 
factors in the business element of New 
Sharon, is successfully conducting a good 
livery business, and generally respected as a citizen 
and business man. He was born in Logan County, 
Ohio, Feb. 14, I8G1, his parents being David N. 
and Orlena (Baughman) Valentine, also natives of 
the Buckeye State, and who were there united in 
marriage. David \'alentine is a blacksmith by 
trade. In October, 1865, the family removed to 
Hock Island, 111., and two years later to Iowa, loca- 
ting at Montezuma, where they remained until 
1«77, and then emigrated to Lincoln County, Kan., 
where the elder A'alentine follows his trade in con- 
nection with farming. The parental family con- 
sisted of seven children: Mary E., wife of A. L. ! 
Shaw; Nathan M. ; Susan J. became the wife of 
A. L. Frances, and died, leaving one daughter; 
.lohn W., Samuel, Edwin L. and Berton \\ . 

The subject of this sketch removed with the 
family to Illinois, Iowa and Kansas, and in Lincoln 
County of the last-named State, in December, 
IHHl, was married to Miss Alice Deits, a native of : 
Kansas, and born in Leavenworth in 1,S(;4. After 
his marriage Mr. Valentine traveled and solicited 
business for the Fire Insurance Company, and .'on- 
tinned in that business until October, l««.3, when 
he returned to Iowa and settled at New .Sharon, 
purchasing the livery business th:.t had been estab- 
lishe.l by his brother, John W. \alentine, Thomas 
Watland and Henry Cattell. in .Sci.tcmber, 1H84, 
■")'! i'"l -nly does the prin.-ipal livery bu>iuess of 



the town, liut is proprietor of the omnibus and 
transfer lines of th.-it city. 

-Mr. and Mrs. ^■.llentiue are the parents of one 
daughter, Orlena Dell, who w.as born March 27, 
l»84. Mr. Valentine commenced life without 
means, and nothing but his indomitable push to 
aid him. He was engaged five years as a solicitor 
of insurance business, in which he was very suc- 
cessful, and by means of which he accumulated suffi- 
cient capital to give him a st;ut in life, wiiich now 
places him among the leading business men of 
New Sharon. Tiie same energy that char.acterized 
him in the iusurMuce business is shown in the man- 
agement of his pi-esent business. He is an excel- 
lent judge of human natuie, studies people as he 
would a book, and rarely makes a mistake in his 
judgment of men. He has many friends, and is de- 
servedly popular. 



^1 NDREW McLAND.SBOROUGH, deceased, 

^p. [ was born in the town of Otley, Yorkshire, 
England, Nov. 11, 1822, and was the son 
of John and Elizabeth (Harrison) Mc- 
In l.s:34 he came to the I'nitcd 
States, and Nov. 10, 1850, located in Cedar Town- 
ship, Mahaska Co., Iowa, where he resided until 
1M5.J, when he moved with his family to .Jasper 
County, returning to .Mahaska County in IX;')!!. He 
then located upon the i)resent homestead, in Adams 
Township, which now consists of G«(; acres, where 
he continuously resided foi- thirty years. 

The marriage of Andrew McLandsborough and 
Miss Marcey McDonough was celebrated Nov. 12. 
1840. Mrs. McL. i,- the daughter of John and 
Marcey (Hogelan) McDonough. and was born .Ian. 
12, 1828. By her union with our subject there 
were born eleven children, seven of whom are liv- 
ing and four deceased: Elizabeth; Anna, the wife 
of John lAIcKinny, of Adams Township; Jane, 
James, Catherine, Thomas, lda,J(,hn. I'larrison and 
Alice. The three latter and :in infant are deceased. 

Ml-. McLau(ffeborough deiiarted this life July Ti, 
1H8G. He was not a member of any church, but 
:in honorable, honcsl and industrious man, and in 





h ffl 



Landsborough. 







'riiminruitiiirxijin jxj 








ji SSan ji 



xxxiin-mii_ii . 



Kii^TjTin* 



458 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



every respect a most excellent citizen, who enjoyed 
the esteem :uid confidence of a large circle of 
friends, and whose memory will ever be cherished 
by them witli the Ivindliest sentiments. The funeral 
services, held at the residence of the deceased, were 
largely attended by neighbors and friends, and his 
remains were laid to rest in tlie old cemeter}' at 
Union Mill>. by the side of old-time friends and 
^^! neighbors gone before. 

ii!) Mrs. McLandslioroiigh, with the aid of her chil- 
li dren, is conducting the liorae farm, which luis been 
III brought to a high state of cultivation, its improve- 
alj ments being of the be.-t class. It is one of the 
Rj most hospitable homes in lliat section of the count}', 
and Mrs. McLandsborough is a lady who stands 
high in the estimation of a large circle of friends 
and acquaintances, possessing noble traits of char- 
acter that liave endeared her to her fainily and to 
all who have tlie pleasure of her acquaintance. The 

!"" mother of Mrs. .McLandsborough is still living in 
Adams Towushii), at tlic advanced age of ninety- 
live years. 



nK\\'KI.L W'Ki.LS, pro|)rictor of a valuable 
, farm estate in I'lea.sant Gro\r Townshiii, 
_^ , and one of the early |)ioneers of Iowa, is a 



v:-\ 



I 

native of Illinois, born April 2(i, l.s3(i. lie came 
to this .State in 1818 with his i)arents. His father 
entered U;u acres of land in Pleasant (i rove Town- 
ship, wliich young Newell helped to cultivate and im- 
prove until he was seventeen years of age, and then 
began life on his own accc^unt, in 1853. After ar- 
riving at years of manhood, Jan. 1, 18Gt), he was 
united in marriage with Miss Patience Williams, 
and to them two children have been born — Madella, 
living, and Chester, deceased. 

Mr. Wells is the owner of .'Jt."i acres of splendid 
land, all under a good state of cultivation and well 
improved. He commenced with no capital save 
the strength of willing hands and a desire to suc- 
ceed in life, and iiis present position, both socially 
and tinancially. is ample evidence that he has not 
failed in his anil)itiou. He is an excellent farmer, 
9 a man of good l)usiuess ability, a splendid manager, 
an excellent citi/en in every way, and enjoys full}- 

fir* r-^ Hi 




-'-^r'-'r'i-'.-T^-^'PPg?. 



^^-•~J-'~>2i^rJr^rJrJ\ 



I 



M 



I 



\ 



the confidence and esteem of his acquaintances. 
His political relations are with the Democratic party. 
Himself and wife are worthy meinbci,- of the Chris- 
tian Church. 



y»,ILLlAM BOWEN, .Superintendent of the j 
/ Oskaloosa Water Company, and also Sec- 
"^^^ retary of the Oskaloosa Gas Light Com- 
pany, is a resident of that city. Mr. Bowen is a 
son of N\'illiam and Loretta (Cooper) Bowen, and Sjl 
was born at Ft. Wayne, Ind., .June 7, 1853. The 
father was a harness and saddle maker Ijv trade, a 
native of Broome County, N. Y.. and died at Ft. jj-} 
Wayne, Ind., Oct. IG. 1869. Our subject's mother | 
was also a native of Broome County, and de()arted j' 
this life in Susquehanna, Pa. The parents had two ;'; 
children, (ieorge R., engaged in the plumbing busi- J 
ne.<s at Ft. Wa^'ne. Ind., and our subject. 2; 

William Bowen received a good education in the 
|)ul)lic schtxjls, and supplemented the same li}' a 
tliorough business course at Duff's Commercial Col- a| 
lege, Pittsburgh, Pa. He then read law alioul three 
years at Ft. Waj'ne, Ind., in the ollice of Coombs, sS? 
.Miller & Bell. We next hear of him at Santa Bar- i'i 
l)ara, Cal., engaged in the drug business, under the s.:| 
firm name of Bowen it Lange. This relationshii) fi 
continued for about four years, when our subject 
returned to Ft. Wayne, Ind.. and embarked in the 31} 
wholesale millinery trade, under the firm name of 
William Bowen A: Co. He was thus occupied until aj} 
the summer of 1S81, when he became general travel- 
ing agent. for the Ft. Wayne Jenney Electric Light 
Company, continuing in this business until .Ian. 
1, 1881; he then came to Oskaloosa to accept the 
position he now holds. 

Mr. Bowen has been instrumental in making 
nununMus and valuable changes in the water system 
of the city of Oskaloosa, also in the erection of the 
water tower, and likewise in the introducing of the 
Westinghouse incandescent electric light system. 
He organized the Hawkej'e Electric Manufactur- 
ing Company for the manufacture of incandes- 
cent app.aratus, and also the manufacture of electric 
motors. The coiui)any does a large business in the g[j 
manufacture of all kinds of electric ai)|)aratus. .Mi 



1 






^nj 



P3a 



'ti^S^S^ rjr'Hr'r'fO 




MAHASKA COUNTY. 



4i.:i 



lioweii is ;i iiieiiiher of the lown (ins Association 
and the National Water Works Association. So- 
cially he is a member of the Knights of I'ythias. 

Our subject was married at Urooklyn, N. Y.. on 
the 7th of November. IsTi;. to Miss Emnui .AI. 
C'legg, daughter of 1). \\'. Clcgg, a manufacturer 
of New York City. Three children were born to 
our subject and wife while residents of Ft. Wayne, 
Ind., namely: William, Dec. i;i, ISTS; .Marshall, 
March f,, l.ssi. and Kuliy, Sept. 11. 1 .ss:i. 



-^-v- 






1 .-5 

i?l 

11 

m 

II 

15: 

I HE 

I* 



h:":- 



/AMES W. lUNKSLKV, Justice of the I'e.ace 
and Notary- Public at Oskaloosa, and a resi- 
dent of Mahaska County since 1855, was 
born in Indianapolis, Ind., in March, 1832. 
He is a son of ,luhu W. and Almira ((iould) Hin- 
esley, and was uri)haned by the death of his father 
when nine years of age. When thirteen years old 
Mr. Hineslej' went to Harrison, Hamilton Co., 
Ohio, where, under the instruction of his uncle, he 
learned the blacksmith's tr.-ide and followed the 
same for some twelve j^ears. Returning to Indian- 
apolis, he spent two years working at his trade, and 
was there married, June 23, 1854, Miss Sarah E., 
daughter of William McWhorter, being the other 
contracting party. .She was born in Indianapolis, 
and bore our subject one child, (Tcorge \\., now a 
resident of Louisville, K}'. The loving wife de- 
parted this life ]\Iar<,'li 18, 1855, at Indianapolis. 
Tiuit same year Mr. Hinesley went to Kansas, but in 
September came to this county* and located at In- 
dianapolis, where he at once engaged in working at 
hi> trade and was thus occupied until 18(1.'). 

Our subject formed a second matrimonial alli- 
ance, April 3, 1850. at which time Miss Hannah .1., 
daughter of Moses and Mar}' Atwood. became his 
wife. She was born in New Hampshire, but her 
parents subsequent!}' removed to CJeorgetown, 
Mass., where she was reared to womanhood. Of 
her union with our subject four children have lieen 
lioni. three daughters and one son, only two of 
whom are living: William K. niarriecl .Miss Ida .1. 
Kenilile, and is resi<ling at ( )skalo(isa. where he is 
engaged in the mannf:icturc of cigars, and in the 
wholesale :ind retail tobacco business; Mary Aliiiiia 



died in intancy; .Sarah L. died at the age of eight- 
een months; Ida M. is the wife of William E. Kem- 
Me, ;ind they are living at Oskaloosa, where he is 
interested in a vegetal)le garden and greenhouse. 

On the Ith of July, IsfiO. our subject, by the 
premature discharge of an improvised camion at In- 
dianapolis, lost his left arm. He was A.sse.ssor for 
two terms, and also C(instal)le. and in the fall ul 
18(;;i was elected Sheriff of his county, lie then 
moved to Oskaloosa, where he entered ui)on the 
duties of his oflice, and which position he contin- 
ued to fill, to the entire satisfaction of the people, 
f(.r ten years, the date of his vacating being Jan. 1, 
1874. He was then interested for a short time in 
the furniture business; then in the grocery trade 
for two years; then received the appointment of 
Justice of the I'eace to All a vacancy, and in the 
fall of 1878 was elected to that position. He has 
l)een re-elected continuouslj' to that office ever 
since, which is proof sufficient that he is not only 
qualified for the |)ositi«n, l)ut is held in high es- 
teem by the citizens of the county. He and his 
wife arc membei-s of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. Politically ho is an ardent Republican, 
and socially a member of the I. (). O. F. and K. of 
P. Mr. Hinesley has voted the Republican ticket 
since 1850, his first vote being cast for John C. 
Fremont, and his last for the "Phnned Knight of 
Maine." 



<i ff, H. PRINK was born in Indiana in 1839, and 
\^// '* ^ *"" *^^ Haiiiel S. and Nancy (Thrasher) 
\^/% Prine. He came to this county with his 
p.'irents in Septembei', 1840, and located in (Jar- 
field Township, where his father still lives. (See 
sketch of Daniel S. Prine). William was roared 
upon a farm and educated in the common schools 
of his native State. In 1801 he enlisted in tlie 8tli 
low:i Intantry and served one year, being dis- 
chargeil for disability caused l)y a gunshot wound 
in the left hand. I'pon returning home he resumed 
the occupation of a f:iriner, wliich he still follows. 

In 1802 Mr. Prine was united in marri:ige with 
Priscilla Coflin, a native of Indiana, :uid of this 
union two children were l)orn : Lillie .1.. wife of 
J. .M. .lackson. now living at Summit Park, Col., 



iS^HSk, 



I 






i 



KirritTTm 



■iCA) 



lyiAHASKA COUNTY. 



m 



m 



M 



"hei-e Mr. Jackson is engaged in the stock business 
iind in teacliing school; Eva, the second cliild. is at 
home. Mr. Trine is the owner of 201) acres of land 
and devotes his attention to general farming. For 
some years he has made stock-raising a specialty, 
breeding Pol:uid-C'hina liogs. on which he has 
taken the first premium at numerous county fairs. 
He sells and ships a large number of Poland-China 
liogs each yeai', receiving orders both in and out of 
the State. Mr. l^rine, .sometime after his return 
from the army, made a trip to Idaho with a team, 
being on the road three months while going and 
two months while returning, in 18G4. He still 
owns one of the horses that he drove across the 
plains at that time, and it is yet doing full work 
on the farm. Mr. Prine began life a poor boy, 
but has been very f irtnnate in all his business re- 
lations, especially in that of stock-raising. 



#>#► 




ILBl'RX B. ROBERTS, a pioneer i if Adams 
Township, was born in Henry County, Ky., 
^ Aug. 25, 1S14. lie received a common- 
school education, and after attaining to manhood 
was married, Nov. 11, IS:?.""), to Miss Miranda 
Stringfellow, who was a native of Kentucky. Of 
this union there were born thirteen children, of 
whom the record is as follows: Mary F. liecame the 
wife of George M. Vallandingham, of Rose Hill. 
this count}' ; America became the wife of Jabez 
Ruby; he died in 1868; Elizabeth, Mrs. Joel Bri- 
W^\\ ne}-, lives in Adams Township; George W. lives in 
ij I Spring Creek Township, and Henr}- F. in Monroe 
1 1 Towushij) ; Sarah is deceased ; James lives at Rose 
I' Hill ; John L. is in Adams Township ; Joseph resides 
Bki?j]i in Monroe Township: Charles F. and Martha, Alice 
and Ellen, twins, and an infant unnamed, are de- 
ceased. Our subject has thirty-five grandchildren 
living, and fourteen great-grandchildren. 

Mr. Roberts came to Iowa in 1851. audlocatedin 

Adams Township. Politically he is a Democrat, and 

himself .and wife are members of the Baptist Church. 

!^ At the time of his settlement in Adams Township 

I there were no impiovements on the place, and he 

I was one of the first men to build a house in that 

township. He now owns 160 acres in good culti- 



vation and well improved, and has been fairly suc- 
cessful in his agricultural and business transactions. 
The pioneers of his day are not many, and the 
passing 3"ears are decreasing the number slowly 
and surely. The prosperity their children are en- 
joying to-day is due to the hardships and priva- 
tions they endured in the early settlement of this 
country. Economy and close management were a 
necessity then, and it gave them an experience 
that was valuable in their after life and taught 
them how to save that which they^had earned. 




/RANCIS THOMPSON, now residing in 
Montgomery Count}', Iowa, was formerly a 
well-known citizen of Oskaloosa. He is a 
native of Penns3'lvania, b(jru in Lawrence County, 
Aug. 2. 1814. His father, George Thompson, and 
his mother. Mar}- l[Seott) Thompson, were both na- 
tives of the same State, where they lived and died. 
Francis remained at home upon his father's farm 
vintil fourteen years of age, when he commenced 
learning the tailor's trade, in which occupation he 
C(jntinued for about ten years, when, finding it did 
not agree with him, abandoned it and learned the 
trade of a carpenter. 

On the 29th day of JIarch, 18.S7, Mr. Thompson 
married Rebecca Wallace, a daughter of Samuel 
and Rebecca (Taylor) Wallace. She was a native 
of Pennsylvania, as were also her parents, who con- 
tinued to reside there till their death. To Mr. and 
Mrs. Thompson five children were born: Mary, the 
eldest, died in infancy; Harriet J., in April, 1861, 
married F. Ellis, who died in March, 1867, at Os- 
kaloosa; Mrs. Ellis subsequently married, and is 
now the wife of Samuel Knowlton, of Union Town- 
ship; Mary P.. the third child, died in infancy; 
Martha E. married Rev. R. B. Farrar, of Monte- 
zuma, Iowa; Delia E. married E. McMnllin, of 
Villisca, Iowa. 

In the spring of 1855 Mr. Thompson moved 
with his family to Oskaloosa, Iowa, where for many 
years he followed his trade of carpenter and builder, 
erecting in that city some of its best houses, in- 
cluding those of the late Hon. M. E. Cults, Judge 
Seevers and others. He has been a lifelong mem- 




I tnrixirxKTi I 



•■^.iV HJ C r'-Cl 



UCCCCJi 




fiBPgHrl 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



KJl 



her of the Presbyterian CImreh, and for ninre than 
forty years a Rnlini;' l'".l(hi' in the churches witli 
wliicii lie was connected. In l.sTs he engager! as 
colporteur for tiie I'resliyterian Hoai'd of Pnblica- 
tions. and continued to act as such until lws4. oi- 
until he was threescore and ten years of aye, when 
he retired from active work. He now niai<es his 
home witii his dauuhter at Villiscn, Iowa. There 
never was a more honest, uiiriuht man than Klder 
Thonip.son. and no man ever enjoyed the eonti- 
dence and respect of his fellow-men to a greater 
degree. Politically he is a Uepnlilic.in, while n 
strong Prohihitioni.st. 




'V 

\ 
1 
l- 
\ 



LBERT W. SWALEJs was born at Womels- 
dorf, Berks Co., Pa., Nov. 30. 1,S4;). At 
the age of nine years he removed with his 
'^ parents to Oskaloosa. Iowa, where as a 

child he w^as thrown upon his own resources for a 
livelihood, and in 18511 apprenticed himself to the 
Times, and later to the Hm'aJd, office to learn the 
art preservative. At this period, by a diligent 
course of reading and studj' at night, he sought to 
repair as far as possible the lack of educational ad- 
vantages, and thus early was imbued with the love 
of political and historical study which has always 
been the marked cli:ii-iictel'istie of his mind. 

In the summer of 18ii2, when so many young 
hearts were thrilled with the inspiration of patriot- 
ism and war, young Swalen offered himself, but 
was rejected by reason of his slight frame and age, 
being then seventeen years old. Again seeking to 
enlist, he was accepted, on the 'Jth of November, 
l.sfi;!, and enrolled with Co. I). -VM Iowa Regiment, 
with which he served until mustered out at Ilons- 
lon. Tex., Aug. 1.'), 18();"). His entire record as a 
sohliei- is that of a loyal and brave man in the 
discharge of duty. He participated in all the cam- 
[taigns and engagements in which his regiment took 
part after he joined it, and left the army as he 
entered it, a private soldier, having refused a pro- 
motion to Orderly Sergeant. 

Soon after the close of the war .Mr. Swalen re- 
n]o\eil to Indiauola, where he worked at the print- 





er's trade until I8G8. when he was offered and 
accepted the position of city editor of the Intra 
State Rviilslcr. with Mills iV- Co., proprietors. Later, "^ 
his h(>alth bciiinuing to show signs of failure, in 
the s|)riug of IsTO he founded the Grand .lunetionp! 
Ili'<iilli<ilit. which, under his energetic editorship, 
attained unusual prominence, and in 1S7I he pur- 
chased the lici'. at .leffersou, in the same county. 
During the legislative .session of l.s7l-72 he served 
as Postmaster of the (Jeneral Assendily. and ex- 
tended an already large accjuaintance with the jiul)- 
lic men and politics of the .State. 

On the 1st of October, 1.S72. Mr. Swalen w.is 
united in inai'riage with Miss Pauline (liven, of 
I)es Moines, then .issociate editor of the loira Statue 
Register, and a graduate of Iowa College. June 4, 
1874, he purchased the Ft. Dodge Messeiic/er. .asso- 
ciating his wife with him in its editorial and busi- 
ness control, lint the continuance of ill-health, 
which had its date in the ex[H)sures of camp and 
field during the war, at length compelled a retire- 
ment from active work, and .Inne 4, 1.^77, Mr. and 
.Mrs. Swalen sold the Messenger to Messrs. Howley j ^^ 
ife Meservey, and aftei' (jassing the summer on the 
Western plains set off for Europe in the October 
following, where, on the continent and in P^ngland, 
nearly two years were spent. 

In 1S81 Mr. Swalen returned to his profession, 
as editor and joint owner of the Oskaloosa Herald. 
and has actively identified himself with the Imsi- 
ne.ss and .social interests of the home of his youth 
and early manhood. Here, in a ])lea,sant home, he 
is surrounded with a good library and sympathetic 






fSiiiJ 

n 

■1 k 



companionship, and llnds great enjoyment in life. ![f^^ 



To his honu' has come one chilil, a daughter, lone, 
born at lii<hmond. near l.onilon. England. May 6, 
1.S7S. 

At various times .Mr. Swalen has refused to per- 
mit the use of his name for otticial |>lace, ])referring 
the safer path of independence as an editoi', and 
unvexed cares as a private citizen. He has, how- 
ever, filled many pl.aces of trust and hon(n- of a 
temporary kind. He was connected as ])rivate 
secretary with the commission to make treatj" with 
the .Sioux Nation in 1875. and in l.s7(j was a mem- 
ber of the commission to appraise the Pawnee In- 
dian reservation for the Government, lu 1877 he 



1. 













rxiitxjjii 




462 






m 
111 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



lorrrTTJiai 

SEW 



was apiiiiiiited Assistant iHspeLUn (icm^ral of Iowa, 
oil Gov. Newbokl's staff, with the rank of Colonel. 
In 1883 Gov. Sherman selected him as a member 
of the Mississippi River Improvement Convention at 
AVashington, D. C. In 188.3 he was elected Presi- 
dent of the Iowa Press Association. In 188G he 
was appointed by Ciov. Larrabee one of the com- 
mission for the location of the Iowa Soldiers' Home. 
Later in the same year he was elected Major of the 
M Regiment, 1. N. (i., and in the subsequent win- 
ter was elected Lieutenant Colonel of the same 
regiment. 

In March, 1887, Mr. Swalen was elected a mem- 
ber of the Oskaloosa Board of Education for 
tiie term of three years — until March. 1 890. He is 
also Secretary of the Maiiaska County Old Settlers' 
Association, which luimbers a great many of those 
who have been residents of the county for twenty 
years. He is a memlier of the Masonic, Odd Fel- 
lows and Pythian fraternities, and the Grand Army 
of the Republic. He is also President of the local 
Hoard of Trade, formed for the purpose of en- 
(■ouraging the establishment of h)cal manufacturing- 
places. 

-^^ — •:<-sf^- -^^- 

ROF. .T. A. BEATTIE, one of the promi- 
nent factors in the progress and jn-osperit}- 
■^ of Oskaloosa College, is a native of Ash- 
land County, Ohio, where he was born Ma^^ 
11, 184.'). His parents, John and Isabel (Thom) 
Beattie, were both born in Aberdeen, Scotland, the 
former April 21, 1817, and the latter Feb. 10, 
1827. When young people the}' came to America 
with their parents, the elder Beattie settling in 
Richland C'ljnnty, Ohio, and Mr. Thom in Ashland 
Countj'. Their marriage occurred in the spring of 
1844, and they first settled in Huron County, but 
later, in Ashland. They became the parents of 
nine children, viz.: Prof. J. A., our subject; Will- 
iam J., of (teneva, Ohio; John II., of New London, 
Ohio; Mary J., widow of Robert Hamilton, now 
living ill Huron, where she is Principal of the vil- 
lage schools; Robert M., attorney and Clerk of the 
Court of Huron County, Ohio; Kate I., a graduate 
of Hiram College and Principal of the Ladies' De- 
partment of that institution; Nettie, wife of Rob- 




ert McCabe, of New London, Ohio; Edward and 
Herbert, residing with their mother. 

Mr. Beattie was at first a Free-soiler in his polit- 
ical convictions, but later affiliated with the Repub- 
lican party, and held several offices of trust. He 
went into Ohio a poor j'oung man, hewed a farm 
out of the heavy wood, and identified himself in 
all waj's with the best element of the society of his 
neighborhood. He was a firm friend of education, 
and gave his children an unusuallj' liberal educa- 
tion for a new country. He was himself a man 
well posted in local and national affairs. When in 
the prime of life, he joined the Baptist Church, but 
subsequently united with the Christian Church, of 
which he was a member at the time of his death. 
Mrs. Beattie is still living in Ashland County, and 
is also a member of the Christian Church. 

Prof. Beattie was reared upon a farm until he 
was eighteen years of age, helping in the duties in- 
cident to farm laboi', and attending the common 
schools. He then hired out b}' the month, saving 
his earnings, so that, at the age of twenty-one. he 
was able to enter Savannah Academy. During the 
winter months, however, he taught the district 
school. He was then emplo^'ed in Linn Acadeni}- 
until he entered Bethany College, at Bethanj', Va., 
and graduated in 1873. In the fall of that year he 
was engaged as assistant in the department of 
mathematics in Bethany College. While there 
teaching, he was elected Superintendent of Public 
Schools of Ashland County, and served two j'ears. 
He then became connected with Bedford College, 
at Bedford, Iiid., being Professor of Mathematics, 
and the last two years President of the college. 
During the five years, with the exception of four 
months, he supplied the pulpit of the Christian 
Church. He was also associated in carrying on an 
educational journal, and also was called as an in- 
structor in the Normal Institute. 

Prof. Beattie came to Oskaloosa Sept. 17, 1881, 
and has since filled the Chair of Mathematics for 
three years in Oskaloosa College, and served as Ei 
Professor of Philosophy and F^nglish Literature, pi 
He has ever taken an active interest in educational £ 



affairs, 
line. 



and has done a great work in his special 



Our subject was married, Aug. 2(J, 1873, at 




I 



11-11 i iftXti Mi 



Kg : 
V - 
i;-: 
I ;,: ■ ■ - 

U-: Savannah, Uhio, to Matrs^ie I)., daiiiihterof William 




MAHASKA COUNTY. 



46ft 



I.- 

|j|the parents of fi>u 

J ^£ Kent, born .Inly U. l.sT 

15C187S; Mal)el B.. Mav .'^.O. 

!i; 19, 188."). 

1 is 




ijand Is^alii'l (Forbes) Henton, ami who was born in 
^Asbhinil County, Ohio, Oct. II, 1847. They are 
(•hildrcii, as follows: Rolla 
; Ktlu'l B.. March M. 
S.so. ami M. .M.. .hilv 



— >5— 



-5^w~«ffli>>--5^-o 



W. Ml ^■ KILL. The origin of the .McNeill 
faniil}' in America was with two brothers 
who came from Scotland in 17711. Archibald 
McNeill, one of them, was a |)hysician and 
Tjjl settled in Cieorgia, the other, .lohn McNeill, was a 
1^ (ieneral in the British army, who on leave of ab- 
}^ senee. settled in Kent County, 5[d. lie forfeited 
77ii by takiuij sides with the 



the Revolution, (ieu. Mc- 



! IS his commission in 

■I 
{jS American colonies in 

};J Neill had four children, three sons and one daughter. 

>;! The eldest, John McNeill, Jr., a lawj'er by pro- 

'rj fession, removed to Cumberland, Alleghany Co., 

}rt Md., in 1800, and was for many years Judge of the 

Orphan's Court of tliat county. B\' his marriage 

jg:;j. with Mary Mj-ers there were born five sons and 

[^ three daughters. One of these children and the 

^'■i father of the members of the family now living in 

^ : Oskaloosa, Iowa, was the Rev. Francis Asbury Mc- 

: Neill, M. D., born Jan. 1, 1809. He was married 

'^■z in Frederick City, .Md., Feb. I, 18.30, to Mary E. 



\]:: Cronise, who was born in that city March 4, 1812. ( 
Dr. McNeill was baptized by Rev. Francis As- i 
J|C bury, the first Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal i 
{^ Church in America. He joined this church when 
i;E ^^U young, and was received into the ministry at ' 
[ 3? twentj' years of age; ordained De.acon in 1833 at 
i;C Baltimore, Md., b^' Bishop Hedding, and ordained 
};» Elder in 1837 at Jacksonville, 111., by Bishop Soule. 
J He found time to pursue a course of medical stud- 
: ies, and graduated at the I'niversity of Maryland, 
I in Baltimore, in the year 1834. I^ocatiug at Spring- 
» field, 111., in the spring of 183.T, he practiced medi- 
t cine and at the same time maintained his rainister- 
I ial connection for twelve years, after which he was 
£ located at various points bj' the conference. 
I The Doctor took a verj' active interest in politics, 
if!: and was an ardent opponent of slaver3-, which 
: largely infiuenced him to leave Maryland. He 



stumped the .State of Illinois for Harrison for Presi- 
dent in \><UK was a delegate to the convention 
which nominated Henry Clay f<jr President, also 
to the Bloom ington Convention in 18.56, which 
gave birth to the Republican party, and was a mem- 
ber of the Illinois ]>egislature when the Civil War 
broke out. His newspaper in Ogle Comity, 111., 
was among the first, if not the first, to hoist the 
name of Abraham Lincoln for President. He v/nn 
a warm personal friend and great admirer of the 
Mai'tjM- President. He was appointed .Surgeon of 
the Thirty-fourth Illinois Infantry by Gov. Yates, 
resigned by reason of ill-health, was appointed 
Post Chaplain at Paducah, and afterward at Louis- 
ville, Ky., but left the service in 186.5, and died 
Feb. 3, 1872, at Mt. Morris, 111. 

Mrs. Mary E. McNeill died at Springfield, 111., 
Nov. 4, 1849, and Dr. McNeill was again married, 
Feb. 2, 18.57, to Barbara E. Wagner, at Mt. Morris, 
111. Of the children born by the first marriage 
there are four living, all residents of Oskaloosa, 
Iowa. Mrs. Ann Norvella Little, born June 26, 
1835, in Mar3-Iand, was married at Mt. Morris, 111., 
Feb. 1, 1854, to Henrj- I. Little, who was born 
Nov. 6, 1826, in Washington County, Md., and 
died at Oskaloosa, Iowa, March 1, 1886. James 
Floyd McNeill was born Oct. 15. 1841, at Spring- 
field, 111., where he was raised and obtained' a fin- 
ished education. He enlisted Aug. 12, 1862, for 
three years in Co. G, 114th 111. Vol. Inf. He was 
promoted Sergeant Major, serving until the close 
of the Rebellion, and was honorably disch.arged 
Aug. 15, 1865. He afterward officiated as clerk in 
the Adjutant General's office in Illinois until that 
office W.1S abolished. He w^as married, Nov. 18, 
1872, to Julia E. Hibbs, of New York Cit^'. Two 
children have been born to them, Walter F. and 
Mabel. He was for raanj' yeai s connected with the 
First National Bank, of Springfield, 111., and is. now 
Assistant Cashier of the Farmer's and Trader's 
National Bank, of Oskaloosa, Iowa. 

Wilbur A. .AIcNeill was born June 1 1, 1 843, at 
Springfield, 111., receiving his education at the old 
Sandstone Seminary, Mt. Morris, 111. He enlisted 
in the Fourth Illinois Cavalrj- in 1M61, hail a horse 
shot under him at Shiloh, and received such injur- 
ies as necessitated his being discharged as unfit for 





«932^5>8 







rmanxT- 



nxjim nxra rm rrrxTT m 1 



466 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 




service. He re-enlisterl in 1862. and while skir- 
mishing- .it ( iriorsonV Brirlge l)eluw ^Memphis, Teiin., 
and engaged in •.\ Imnd-to-hand pistol duel, was se- 
verely wounded in the right lung, bj' reason of 
which he was .again discharged from service. In 
1870 he associated himself with his brother, H. W. 
McNeill, in the conl business, starting in Monroe 
Count}' as Secretary and Treasurer of the Iowa 
Central Coal Coniijany. Through all the changes 
that followed, as given in full in the sketch of his 
brother's life, W. A. McNeill has had personal 
charge of the accounting and financial part of the 
business, managing it with signal success and marked 
ability. Retiring from this business in 1881, he es- 
tablished the Oskaloosa Livery and Transfer Com- 
pany, on a scale of perfection in all of its appoint- 
ments and details not surpassed, if equalled, by anj' 
similar establishment in any city in Iowa. It is 
one of the most successful business enterprises in 
the cit3' of Oskaloosa. 

Wilbur A. McNeill is now the Manager of the 
Western Union Fuel Company and the American 
Coal Company of this city, yet finds time to give 
personal attention and supervision to the Cham- 
plain Breeding Farm, adjoining the city, on the ele- 
gant estate formerly owned by John ^^'hite, banker, 
now deceased.' He is the sole owner of this farm 
and the stock. The name is taken from his leading 
stallion, Champlain, who is a standard bred son of 
Daniel Lambert, dam Fanny Jackson, by Stonewall, 
by j;than Allen. Mr. McNeill believes in the su- 
perior excellence of the Ethan Allen famil}- of 
horses, and is fortunate in the ownership of so fine 
a representative. 

Of Dr. McNeill's second marriage were born 
four children, two living. Catherine M. was born 
at Mt. Morris, 111., May 20, 1860. After a liberal 
literary education she devoted herself to the study 
of vocal music, spending two years in Chicago, and 
then studied three j'ears with the best masters in 
London and Paris, completing the course in the 
spring of 1886. Frank S. McNeill was born Oct. 
26, 1862, and is now living at Santa Barbara, Cal. 
Hobart W. McNeill, one of the leading men of 
Oskaloosa, was born .lune 18, 1847, at Peoria, 111. 
His mother dying soon afterward, he was reared 
from infancy b}- an aunt in Alleghany Co., Md., 



the home of the familj'. He was carefully educated, 
reaching the Junior y'ear at the University- of Vir- 
ginia, when it was closed b}' the rebels. He took 
the Senior year in 186;j at Rock River .Seminary, 
Ogle County, III. After a cour.se in reading he at- Bf 
tended lectures in the law department of the Uni- gf 
versify of Michig.an, in 1867; was admitted to the S 
l)ar in Springfield, 111., in 1868, and, l(»cating in El- af: 
dora, Hardin Co., Iowa, in 1869, formed a law part- || 
nership with ex-ftov. Enoch W. Eastman. Enter- SE 
ing the service of the Iowa Central Railroad i% 
C()nipany in 1870, he became their general .agent 
in 1871. As special agent of the Iowa Valley 
Construction Company which built the Central 
Railroad, he settled their affairs, which in two years 
had involved an expenditure of 14,000,000 and 
were very much complicated. His report made in 
New ^'ork City was printed by the company, and Bj 
.accepted as a final and complete settlement of its 3 
business. §| 

In 1872 the territorial chartei' of the St. Louis 3§ 

nil 

(fe .St. Paul Railway' from Minneapolis south to 5j:1 
the Iowa line at Northwood (since built upon by Hji 
the Minneapolis <fe St. Louis Railway Companj') S|^ 
was assigned to Mr. McNeill as the secret represent- 85 f 
■ative of the Central Iowa and other corporations. Ssi 
As President of the St. Louis & St. Paul Comp.any Ss ^ 
he secured township bonds in aid of the enterprise ^\^ 
to the extent of $4,000 per mile. The road was 
bonded for *20,000 per mile, and these bonds were 
guaranteed by the Central Iowa, the Lake Superior 
& Misssissippi, and the Northern Pacific Railway 
Companies, Jay Cooke agreeing to take them at 
ninety-five cents. Mr. Cooke's failure in 1873 car- 
ried in its downfall not onl}' this jiroject, but sixty- 
eight established railroads, the Cential of Iowa, in- 
cluded. 

In 187;^, in connection with his brother, W. A. 
McNeill, who has since that time been associated 
with him in his various enterprises, our subject un- 
dertook the development of tlie coal-fields of Ma- 
haska County, organizing the Iowa Central Coal 
Company, which had a capital stock of ^1 00,000, and 
of which com[iany he was President. Muchachi- 
nock was the base of operations and was founded S^ ^ 
by this companj-. The stock of the company soon il-^ 
became worth a large premium, the lowest sales be- ::, 




essssa 



W C 

I ; 
\ - 

I': 

I :: 

I 



Pir'r'r'.r'n 







P 

Hi 






li : 
I ; 
1 c 
1-: 

1. = 



^J:: 



hj : 



i 



ing 50 anfl tlie highost 125 per cent above par. This 
(■<»r|)()rati<>ii was merged into tlie Consolidation 
C'o.d Company, capitalized at 1500,000. Tbis lat- 
ter company absorbed the Iowa Central Coal Com- 
pany, capital §100, (toil, the Southern Iowa Coal 
Company, capital *i.')(),000, the Black Diamnnd 
Coal Company, capital ^lOO.ooo. and the Maliaska. 
C<»nnty Coal Company, cajjital ?!;jO,0(io. Iluis put- 
ting all the mines on the Central Kail wa\ under one 
management. The stock of this (tonii)any was sold 
in ISSl to the Chicago A' Xortli western Railway 
Company for x.')O0,O0(i cash, tiius bringing its value 
to par. Tlic record of these operations is that no 
man ever juit a dollai' into any of them who did 
not draw it out again with .i profit added, some 
moie and some less, in proportion to their judg- 
ment and courage, but there were no losses. 
The result of these coal operations to the county 
lias been, directly, that over 4,000 aci-es of farm 
lands have Iteen sold by their owners for over 
A4oo,ooo, anil the coal taken out of the ground 
wiiere it was worthless has lu'ought back into the 
county over ^i->,000,()00. 

In May, 18.sl, Jlr. McNeill accepted .ui offer from 
the Chicago, Milwaukee A- St. Paul Hailw.-iy Com- 
|)any as assistant to the (Tcneral Manager, S. S. 
Merrill, and wiiile with this company, among other 
things organized the coal department of this road, 
selecting tiie property and projecting its mining 
operations, and the very high efficiency of thi? de- 
partment is due to the efforts of able officers se- 
lected by him. He resigned his connection with 
tiiis company. November 1 following, to accept the 
Presidency of the Dubuciue Intern.al Improvement 
Company, organized to build the A. & N. \V. H. \i. 
under a charter from the State of Texas for .>00 
miles, with a land grant of 10,000 .acres per mile. 
After the construction of sixty miles of that road 
a .special session of the Legisl.ature was convened by 
Gov. Roberts, who, ntit reg.arding the honor of tiie 
State, compelled a sus})ension of the work. 

Mr. .McNeill formulated the financial plan u hidi 
built the Masimic Opera House in Oskaloosa. He 
organized .and is President of the Oskaloosa Powei' 
and Land Company, capital, ?ir)0,0()0; the Oska- 
loosa Tanning Company, capital *2,'>,0()0; the Os- 
kaloosa Edison Light Companx . caiiital *'2r>,()00. 






^^ 



[^7 



Is Vice President of the AVestern Union Fuel Com 
l)any, capital .i;2U0,000; \'ice President of the Amer 
ican Coal Company, capital ?;200,000; Vice Presi 
dent and .Manager of the Iowa Iron W(jrks Com 
jjany, of Dubuque, capital >5li>0,000; Vice Presi-p 
dent and Manager of the Dubuque .Steam Heating 
Company, capital §.').i,000; Vice President and 
Manager of the Hasmusen Western Cable Railway 
Company, of Chicago, 111., capital *2,000,000; is 
a Director of the Farmer's and Trader's National '^^ 
Bank, oi Oskaloosa, and of the Oskaloosa Oatmill [I [[ 
Company : he also owns the Western Fuel .Suppl}- ;| [I 
Company, with headcpiarters at M,ason City, Iowa, 
which furnishes cord for settlers" use on 1,200 miles 
of road owned by tiie Chicago, Milwaukee ife St. 
Paul Railroad Company. Around him and in full 
charge of each corporation, and in every depart- 
ment of these several corporations, is gathered a 
staflf of al)le, clear-headed business men, thoroughly 
trained for their several duties. At the general 
otlice in Oskaloosa, each thirty days shows a com- 
plete abstract of the Inisine.ss done b}' e.ach com- ({j fjj 
pany for the month. W^ 

Iowa has few, if any, larger operators than H. W. q ;■ 
McNeill, and none arc more daring in tiieir vent- jfe^ 
ures, more systematic in their work, or mcjre sue- i h 
cessful in attjxining the best results. From those -^^^-^ 
who are not envious of the success of his various 
enterprises and the great prosperity that has at- 
tended him from the beginning he receives the full 
meed of well-deserved jiraise for what he has done 
to develop the city and county of his adoption, 

II. W. .McNeill was married. May 15, 1869, to 
Miss Lizzie Phillijis, at Eldora, Iowa, to which p^'^i 
place she had but lately removed from Alleghany | (I [1 
County, Md. She was a childhood friend and[|!'::||! 
playmate of her iiusband. was educated at Dr, j[!;;r|2 
Brooks' College, Baltimore, Md., and presides over (|^M 
lier elegant home in this city with the ease and ih 
grace that mark the refined and cultured lady. One 'bft^i 
child, Anna, is living, who was born S.aturday, July ^^' 
12,1873. ' ' W 

ISRAKL S. THOMl'st)N, who has been a resi- 
dent of Mahaska County since 18(58, settled 
j first in Black Oak Towushii), where he liveil [^ 
eight j'ears and became i)roprietor of 420 acres of 

fuhi 




cmmniriiiiit 



irTinmxiTiITlII 



J gffis^r 



"t* " 




IL 468 



land. This he afterward sold, and purchased the 
farm of Nimrod Ross in Scott Tuwnship, where he 
is now engaged in general farming. This fine 
homestead consists of 240 acres of land, with good 
buildings and all modern improvements. Mr. 
Thompson was born in Stark Connt^v. Ohio, in 
1827, being the son of Thomas and Margaret 
(Swartlej) Thompson, who were lioth natives of 
^^1 Westmoreland Count}-, Pa. 

'r;|! Our subject was reared to manhood in his native 
rj] State, and trained to habits of industry and princi- 
l! pies of honesty by his excellent parents. He was 
married in Februarj', 18.51, to Miss Sarah Laugh- 
Rj Rl lin, w'ho was born in Pennsylvania, and they be- 
■^■i=^' came the parents of six children, of whom the rec- 



mm 



m 




} good set of farm building.'^. 

Joseph Soults, Jr., was united in 



par 

ord is as follows : Maj- J. became the wife of Den- ] 
nis R. Robertson, of Scott Township; Priscilla mar- | 
ried Samuel Casey, who is occupied as a railroad j 
agent in Prairie City, Iowa; Harmon is a tele- 
graph operator; Sarah M. and Adam are living at ' 
home. The latter has been engaged in teach- 
ing, and possesses an excellent education, having 
taken a college course at Shenandoah, Iowa; ]. E., 
a telegraph operator, is at present an agent on the 
Wabash road. Our subject and his wife are mem- 
bers in good standing of the Methodist Protestant 
Church; in politics Mr. Thompson is a standi Re- 
publican. 



Miss Margarett Chamberlin, and five children have 
come to brighten the household, namely: James, 
born June 8, 187G; Anna, Feb. 11, 1878; Louis, 
Sept. 7, 1879: Cameon, Sept. 1, 1881; Winfield, 
Nov. 1, 1883. 

In his political affiliations, like his father before 
him, Mr. Soults is an uncompromising Republican. 
Himself and wife are members of the United Pres- 
byterian Church. He possesses good judgment, and 
is an excellent manager financially, hence has been 
successful in his chosen vocation. He has a pleas- 
ant home, where genuine hospitality is the rule, is 
a high-minded, honorable gentleman, and in all re- 
spects a worth}' member of societ}". 



>,ALTEK R. CAMMACK is the leading 



A. SOULTS, Ju., owns and occupies a fine 
homestead in Pleasant Grove Township, and 
is reckoned among its useful and valued 
citizens. He was born in Michigan, Sept. 1 , 
1 850, and is a son of Joseph and Anna (Bell) 
! : jljl Soults, natives of Ireland, and whose biography 
will be found elsewhere in this volume. The sub- 
ject of this sketch came with his parents to Iowa, 
in 1855, and in early life began to receive careful 
training in its duties and responsibilities. He 
worked with and for his father until he reached 
manhood, and was then presented with eighty acres 
of land, to which lie subsequently added 120 more 
by purchase, and now owns 200 acres of splendid 
land, all in good cultivation, and supplied with a 



marriage with 



l.# 



photographer <>{ Oskaloosa. Coming to this 
'^NS cit}' a stranger, he rented rooms (.)ver Wil- 
son's diy-goods store, and by close atter.tion to his 
business, with natural and acquired ability in his pro- 
fession, he has built up a trade second to none in 
this section of country. Combining artistic taste 
with the purely mechanical part of his business, he ^ 
produces work, that for superior finish and perfect S| 
pose of the subject, is unsurpassed. Mr. Cammack 
is a native Hawkej^e, born in Muscatine County, 
Oct. 20, 1856. His f.ather. James Cammack, is a 
native of Indiana, while his mother, Elizabeth 
(Hadley) Cammack, was a native of Ohio. They 
were married in Indiana and moved to Muscatine 
County, Iowa, in 1855, and from that county to 
Hardin, in 1859, locating on a farm near Iowa 
Falls, where the mother died in 1874. Thev were 
the parents of eight children, of whom Walter was 
the fourth. IJoth were members of the Society of 
Friends. 

Walter R. Cammack was reared on his father's 
farm and educated in the common schools of Har- 
din County. He remained at home with his father 
assisting in cultivating the farm until 18!S1. when he 
went to .Storm Lake. Buena \'ista Co., Iowa, and 
commenced learning the business of photography. 
Having, as alreadj' stated, a natural taste for the 
wcnk, he soon acquired an insight into the business, 
and became an expert pliotugrapher. After re 




aU/Hr'VKI 






Ji 






^EE 



BfrnirPFni! 




MAHASKA COUNTY. 



469 



maining at Storm Lake for about a _vear and a half, 
he went lu Marshalltowii, where he remained 
thirteen months, and thence came to Oskaloosa. in 
April, 1884. 

On tlie 28th d.iy of October, 1884, Mr. Cam- 
mack was united in marriage with Carrie M. Wick- 
ershani, a native of Lee County, Iowa, and dauLfh- 
ter of Jesse and Jlarj' Ann (Bond) Wickershani. 
The parents of both Mr. and Mrs. Cammack be- 
long to the Society of Friends, and their religious 
tendency is in that direction. Mr. Cammack is a 
member of the Knights of Pythias and Modern 
Woodmen of America. While a citizen of Oska- 
loosa but a few j'ears. Mr. Cammack has made a 
host of friends, and enjoys the respect and coiili- 
dence of all. Mrs. Cammack is well known and is 
universally esteemed by a large circle of friends 
and acquaintances. 

"'MOS L. SIIAXGLE, of Prairie Township, 
is numbered among the pioneers of 18.54, 
and was born in Morris Count}', Oct. 30, 
1831. His paternal ancestor, Frederic 
Shangle, was from Strasburg, Germany, emigrat- 
ing to this country in 1745, and settling on an es- 
tate of about 1,000 acres in the western part of 
Morris County, N. J. The eldest son of Frederick 
was Henry, who was about two years old when his 
parents came to America. Henry grew to man- 
hood, married, had a son named Frederick, born in 
1770, and died in 1H3'2. The eldest son of the last 
named Frederick was named William, born Dee. 2.5, 
1798. William Shangle, the father of the subject 
of this sketch, in 1 820 married P^xperience Leek, a 
native of Morris County, N. J., born in 1801. To 
them eleven children were born, two of whom died 
in childhood: Mar}- .M., now deceiised, was married 
to Daniel Mooney; Morris died in the State of 
Mississippi, in 1847; Harriet is the wife of J. H. 
Douglass; .lane married Truman Thomas, and died 
in 1868; Eliza married Capt. C. P. Searle. and 
died in .Ma}-, 18.57; Amos L. ; .Sarah, wife of B. B. 
.lack; William and .lohn C. The great-grandfather 
of Experience Leek was Thomas Leek, who cmi- 
y-ratcd from Wales in 172,5, and settled in Lonji 




Island. His son. Amos Leek, subsequentlj' settled 
in Morris County. X. .J., to whom was born a son, 
also named Amos, in 1771, and died in 18,5(). He 
was the father of Experience, the mother of our 
subject. In 1845 William Shangle and famil}' 
moved from New .Jersey to Ohio, and ten years 
later to Iowa, locating in Mahaska County, where 
Mrs. Shangle died, .Sept. 5, 1858. and William 
Shangle, April 14, 1874. 

Amos Shangle, the subject of this sketch, re- 
moved with his parents to Delaware Count}", Ohio, 
in 1845, and afterward accompanied them to Knox 
County. All his early life was spent on the farm, 
receiving in the meantime an ordinary common- 
school education, together with instruction in a 
private school kept by Prof. Corning, and sutticient 
to qualify him later on as a teacher. In the year 
1854, accompanied by his brother-in-law, Mr. Dan- 
iel .S. Mooney, and two sisters, he came to Iowa, 
and the following winter taught school in Madi- 
son Township. Returning again to his native State 
in 1853, he was there, in .lanunry, 1859, united in 
marriage with Mary ^^'. Tuttle, who wiis born in 
.Morris County, N. .1.. Dec. 2fi, 1832. To them 
have been given three children: Mark Henry, born 
in 1861, now resides in Idaho: Louis Tuttle, born in 
1863, and Frederick Morris, in 1865. 

Shortly after Mr. .Sh.angle's marriage he returned 
to Iowa, and in the fall of 1860 purchased 
eighty acres of his present f.'U'm, upon which he 
moved in 1 86 1 , and has since lived. In his political 
faith he is a Democrat, and cast his first vote for 
Franklin Pierce for President in 1852. He has 
served as Justice of the Pe.ace, and for about fif- 
teen years as .Secretary of the School Board of his 
township. In speaking of his political faith, .Mr. Shan- 
gle says the first article in his creed is "Free trade 
to all; especial privileges to none," conseqiiently 
the Oskaloosa Ilpruld bestowed upon him tiie eu- 
phonious appellation of "Free trade crank," but he 
laughingly says "the Herald has never been able to 
turn that crank." 

When engaged in farming for a livelihood, Mr. 
Shangle does not neglect the |)leasures of mental 
culture. .A. library of over 200 volumes of poetry, 
phiiosoi)hy. history and fiction, with the leailing 
peiiodicais of the day. :ifFord^ iuleresling cutertaiii- 



^, 



I 



mm 






\^ 




IIIUXILIXZXI 






ill 



§M 




inmrTami.mjjir-rT«» jTiii 



_^^:'.Z '*r~*'~v ». ■* 

nnrxnrrrmxxiiixiniriixii- ' ^X-^ ..^rS 



470 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



ment for his leisure hours. He has always taken 
much interest in the success of the schools of his 
township, and to his labors they owe much of their 
efficienc}'. 

Mr. Shanj^le's present farm consists of KJO acres, 
which he lias Ijronuht to .1 very high state of culti- 
vation, and upon whicii the improvements are of 
the best class. [lis business is that of stock farm- 
ing, devoting his particular attention to the raising 
of horses. A residence of over one-third of acent- 
ur}' in this county has so fully established the char- 
acter cif our suljject that words of praise or de- 
merit would not change public opinion. As a citi- 
zen, neighbor and friend, few men are better 
kno\vn <ir more greatly esteemed among a large 
circle of .aciiuaintances than is Mr. Shangle. He is 
a man of more than urdinaiy attainments, a reader 
and thinker, a'ul alile at all times to express him- 
self uKjst intelligent)}' on current topics. Life 
with him has been a success, and he enjoys a rea- 
sonable sliare of prosperity. 



^^ 




P^NRY SARVIS, who is residing in Pleasant 
Grove Townshi]), was born in tiie State of 
Indiana, July 31, 1844. He came to Iowa 
in 11S.5C with his parents, and settled in this 
cfiunt}', where his father entered some land. He 
continued to reside upon the farm, performing the 
iluties and labors incident to that occupation until 
he reached his majorlt.y, and then tackled the prob- 
lem of life on iiis own account. June 14, 18.57, he 
was tmited in marriage with Miss C'elia Guilliams, 
and to them three children have been boin : John 
W. is at Oskaloosa; Sarah K. is the wife of C_yrus 
Vermilion, of this township, and Emma M. lives at 
home. 

In his political leanings INIr. Sarvis is Democratic. 
He was i^nce a member of the Baptist Church, and 
w.as for seven years a preacher and teacher of the 
doctrines, held by that denomination, but he has 
since embraced the doctrine of universal salvation. 
He holds the position of School Director in his dis- 
trict. He owns a farm of sixty-eight acres of good 
laud, which is under good cultivation and finely im- 



proved, Mr. Sarvis is a man whose literary attain- 
ments are much above the average. He is studious 
and thoughtful, a good rcasoner and fluent talker, 
and is fully able to entertain and instruct an audi- 
ence. In character he is irreproachable, and <'njoys 
the highest esteem of his friends and neitfhbors. 



ERR'i' NORTON, a prosperous and enter- 



prising farmer and stock-raiser on section 3^:0 
.3, Madison Township, is n native of Roi't- as} 




age County, Ohio, where he was born 
•24. 1824. 



His father. Ansell Norton, was a bf 
native of Connecticut, and a farmer bv occupation, s^ 
His mother, Lucy (Bostwick) Norton, was a na- g^ 
tiveof New York. They were the parents of nine 3 
children, five of whom are j'et living — Kmily An- s 
drews, Catherine Clark, Seth J., Louisa Whitney : 
and Perr}'. Ansell Norton died in Portage Count}', : 
(Jhio, at the age of forty-three years. His widow fc 
remarried, her second husband being Daniel Clark, 
and died at the age of seventy-three years. 

The subject of this sketch, Perry Norton, is the 
youngest child of the family, and his years from 
childhood to manhood were spent upon the farm. 
In 18.51 he was united in marriage with Margaret ii\ 
E. King, a native of Trumbull County, Ohio, and :^. 
two years later thej- removed to Gallia County, S|} 
Ohio, where Mr. Norton followed farming until 3';} 
1 804, then emigrated to Rock Island County, Ill.,ji| 
whence, in 1807, he came to Iowa, and settled ■""'' 
upon his present farm of 240 acres, for which he 
paid a little over $3,000. By his marriage eight 
children have been born, one of whom, Luc}', died g: 
in infancy : Raymond F. resides at New Sharon ; "g 
James H. left home at the age of twenty-three |§ 
years, and not having been heard from for five 
years, is supposed to be deceased ; Linda is the wife 
()f A. F. Ault; the others are Herbert D. C, 
Clarence M., John D. and Albert. 

F-olitic.ally Mr. Norton is a Republican. The 
land upon which he settled was comparatively new 
grountl at the time of his purchase, having only 
twenty -five .acres broken, but since then he has 
brought it to a high state of cultivation, and all its 
improvements are of the very best character. Ilc- 




;:.=} 



..,^^1 



■ ^ ^ r* r ""^ r- 



Uij r' . r^ CX- - U 




\r'j-ln±s:!rL^, 



MAHASKA COIINTY. 



ra=s^FrT^g 



471 



is eiigagefl in niixprl fnrniinfi anrl stock-raising, in 
whic'ii he lins nttfiinoil cimsidi rable sntcpss. ami is 
rated among the leading tanners of the eounly. lie 
j is a most honorable gentleman, of the strietest iu- 
1 tegrit_y, a careful manager of lii> business affairs, 
j and a most desirable citizen in .all respects, and en- 
I joys the highest regard of a large circle of ac- 
quaintances. 






♦><■■ 




ILTON CROOKHAJL a farmer and stock- 
raiser, resides on section 32. Adams Town- 
ship, lie was born in Jackson County, 
Ohio, May ;>, LSI 9, and is a son of (leorge 
L. and Sarah (Lake) L'rookhani. He was reared on 
the farm, and has ahva3's followed that avocation. 
His early education was very limited and was ob- 
tained ehictly before he was six j'ears of age. He 
remained at home in Jackson County until he had 
arrived at the age of twenty-one, and then began 
life for himself. lie traveled extensively through 
seventeen of the States and Territories, and crossed 
the Atlantic Ocean to England in 1S4;3, remaining 
there only a few months. Although his school edu- 
cation was limiteil he was of a studious turn of 
mind, and so continued until he was forty years of 
age, and his studies had embraced the common 
branches, anatomy, theology, chemistry, geometry', 
etc. In addition to these he possesses a large gen- 
eral knowledge of many of the sciences, and is con- 
sidered a well-read man. He taught school in 
Ohio and Iowa several terms. 

Mr. Crookham was married in Jackson Coui|ty, 
Ohio, within live miles of his birthplace, Jan. 17, 
1847, to Miiss JMary l>nnu, a native of Jackson 
CVtinity, liorn .March 2i), IS2!'. and .a daughter of 
Samuel and Hetsey (Kelson) Bunn. Her father is 
deceased, and her mother still resides in Jackson 
County, and is over eighty years of age. By this un- 
ion there have been ten children, onl^- four of 
whom are living. Samuel is deceased ; George L. 
dietl at the age of five years; two children died in 
infancy; Horace is a farmer, and resides ujjon one 
of his father's farms in Richland Township, this 
county; Sarah died at the age of seventeen; Kniily 
is the wife of Luke Beach, a farmer residing ni)on 



^Ir. Crookliam's home farm; Eliza died at the age 
of thirteen; Nellie, and an infant, unnamed, are at 
home. 

After his marriage Mr. Crookham located in 
Ko.ss County, Ohio, and eidtivated a rented farm 
for one year. In IX-ix he came to Mahaska County 
and entered 4(H) acres of (iovernment land, in 
.Ma<lison Township, paying therefor ¥1.2.') per acre. 
After a residence of five years on this land he 
moved to I'rairie Township and bought liio acres 
of Oovernment land, to which he added at inter- 
vals until he hacl .accumulated 1,000 acres of land 
in the one body. In liS7() he located where he now 
resides, buying .'i2() acres of his present farm, to 
whi<li ho has since added eight}' more. Mr. Crook- 
ham owns, altogether, in this county over •2,,oOO 
acres of land, about 200 acres in Marion County, 
Iowa, U'lil in .Minnesota, and about lo within the 
corporate limits of Oskaloosa. south of the High 
School building. He also owns that part of the 
Asher House known as the Steet House, one part 
.54x40 and 120x40, and another part U0x20. A 
portion of the buildings are three stories in height 
and the remainder tw(j. 

At the organization of the First National Bank of 
Oskaloosa Mr. Crookham was its third largest stock- 
holder, and was connected with it as long .as it did 
business. John White, Henry H. Prine, John H. 
Warren, Hon. J. A. L. Crookham and the subject of 
this sketch were its organizers. He was also a stock- 
holder in the Farmer's and Trader's Bank when first 
organized, and is n(»w the largest stockholder in the 
Mahaska County Bank. .Mr. Crookham's home 
farm in Adams Township is all in a high state of 
cultivation, with improvements of the best class, 
lie engages extensively in stock-raising, raises 
many fine thoroughbred Short-horn cattle, and 
nsually has on hand from 100 to 200 head, nearly 
all high grades, and many of them full blood. 

Mr. Crookham- started in life with little or noth- 
ing, and when he came to this county had about 
*1.00(), and this has been the basis of an accumu- 
lation, probably greater than that of any other 
man in the county whfi has pursued the business 
of farmiug and stock-raising. In public al¥airs Mr. 
Crookham has alw.a3s taken an active interest, and 
has given liberally of his means to all proper en- 







I: 



'^ ^ 



m 



m 

m 

l:J] 



11, 



II 

m 



Ji 















'I 



pM 



m 





terprises. In the conduct of his business and his 
dealings with men, he has alwajs been honorable 
and fail', and tliis fact has made for him many 
friends, whose confidence and esteem he enjoys 
fully. 



HOMAS NEWELL, one of the pioneers (jf 
Mahaslca County, is a stone-cutter by trade, 
having his residence in Oskaloosa. He was 
born in Holmes County, Ohio, Oct. 28, IsiC, ;uid 
when four years of age removed with his [larents 
to Wayne County, wiiere he grew to manhood. 
His father was a farmer by occupation, and his ed- 
ucation was received in the pioneer log cabin, 
where lie attended three months in each year. This 
structure was 16x1(3 feet, and finished and furnished 
after the manner of those days, which has been so 
often described in this work. The father of our 
subject. Thomas Newell, was of Irish descent and 
parentage, and his mother, who was Miss Harriet 
Fleharty, was a native of Maryland. Tlioinas 
Newell served as a soldier in the War of 181:2, and 
afterward removed to the Territory of Iowa in 
1839. He first located in Louisa County, where 
he entered a claim, opened up a farm, and was 
among the earliest settlers of that region. The 
land sales were then conducted at Burlington. The 
parents spent the remainder of their lives in Louisa 
County, where the father had become a prominent 
citizen, and had distinguished himself in politics as 
being a stanch Democrat of the pronounced Jack- 
son type. 

Thomas Newell was married in Wayne County, 
Ohio, in October, 1838, to Miss Susanna Williams, 
who was born in that State in 1822. In 1839 our 
subject removed to Louisa County, Iowa, where 
he remained for a period of twelve years. In 1851 
he came to Oskaloosa, being the first stone-cutter 
to settle in the town, and received the contracts 
for most of the tine buildings of the city. 

During tiie progress of the late war Mr. Newell 
enlisted as a private in Co. E, 37th Iowa Vol. Inf., 
which was known as the old " Cxraj'beard " regi- 
ment. After proceeding to -St. Louis with his 
company Mr. Newell was detailed for hospital 
service, but after a little over two years was dis- 



chaFged for physical disability. He returned home 
broken down in iienith and practically unfitted for 
further hard labor. He has been a resident of Os- 
kaloosa for a period of thirty years, his home be- 
ing located upon the same spot where he first set- 
tled. To our subject and his wife there were born 
five children, as follows: Mattie became the wife 
of Maj. J. F. Lacey, a prominent attornej' of Oska- 
loosa ; Nancy married W. R. Cowan, loan agent, 
and Samantha became the wife of V. F. Barr, of 
New Mexico, .Superintendent of the K. <t T. R. R. ; 
Mary married E. H. (iraffan, a lumber dealer of 
Warsaw, Wis. ; R. B. is a painter. In politics our 
subject is a stanch Republican, and socially belongs 
to Phil Kearney Post, G. A. R. He has been a 
member of the I. O. O. F. for thirtj'-three j'ears, 
filling many of the high positions of the order. 

When first coming into Louisa County there was 
a scarcity of settlers but plenty of Indians, and an 
al)undance of deer and other wild game. The first 
trip to mill led into Center County about flftj- 
miles, and after reaching his destination he was 
compelled to turn around and go back home empty- 
handed, without his grist. After making a second 
and third trip with the same results, he flnall}' took 
his wheat to Muscatine and traded it for flour, 
after traveling 300 miles upon the errand. That, 
however, was onl^' one of the many trials which 
were encountered bj' the old pioneers, and which 
brought out those sturdy and courageous qualities 
for which they were so universally noted. 



^- 



-€^? 



"JEFFERSON G. HARROLD, an enterprising 
farmer and stock-grower of West Des INIoines 
Township, is a native of Mahaska County, 
^/j and was born in Des Moines Township Oct. 
14, 1855. He is a son of Jacob and Mary (Bon- 
nett) Harrold, the former a native of Pennsylvania, 
and the latter of West Mrginia, both of whom are 
still living and reside in Des Moines Township. 
Our subject assisted in the cultivation of the home 
farm until twenty-five years of age, receiving in 
the meantime a more than average common-school 
education. 

On the 9th of December, 1880. Mr. Harrold was 




p. 



\1 - 




yCruyy:^ ^^^^^<a^ 




ii .^. -^ " " " iiHseed" 



1^ 



^1 = 

I 

1 ■ : 

H - 

i;; 

i;c 

u; 

\-: 

4 - 

IS 

k 
m 

il-: 

iJ;: 

V- 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



475 




If: 

u: 



1 

I 



iiniteil in iiiavriaae with Miss Ella, a rlaiightpr of 
C'apt. ,1. H. and Lucy (Gerard) Evans. Her fathei' 
w.a.s a native of Maryland, born in the year 1822, 
and came to this State in 18,t;5. He served as a 
soldier in the late war as Captain of Co. G, 31st 
Iowa Vol. Inf. He has represented this county in 
the Legislature of Iowa, and at the present time is 
serving as member of the Board of .Sui)ervisors. 
His wife, the mother of Sirs. Harrold, was born in 
Miami County, Ohio. Dec. 30, 1827. 

Mr. and Mrs. Harrold are the parents of two 
children: Howard, born March 29, 1882, and P.anl, 
Aug. 11, 1884, died Oct. 13, 1885. Mr. H. is a 
member of the Cuml)erland Presbyterian Church. 
He is an ardent Republican, and is the versatile 
correspondent of the Oskaloosa Herald from that 
portion of the count3'. He has held the office of 
Assessor for his township. The home farm consists 
of eighty acres of excellent Laud, in good cultivation 
and well improved. In addition to the business 
of general farming, Mr. Harrold is engaged in 
raising thoroughbred Short -horn cattle, and is gath- 
ering together a herd of excellent animals, selected 
from the best families in this country. He handles 
his business intelligently, is prospering fairly in 
life, and has a host of friends, in whose esteem he 
stands very high. 

^/RANK D. HEID, attorney at law, Oska- 
loosa, has been a resident of this State since 
1858. He comes from an excellent family 
of English and. Scotch origin, its fu-st representa- 
tives in this country settling in Delaware prior to 
the Revolutionary AVar. From there various de- 
scendants of the family drifted westward, the fa- 
ther of our subject locating in Pennsylvania. 
There Frank 13. was born, in Indiana Count3-, Sept. 
10, 1850. He is the son of Jesse C. and Elizabeth 
(Cooper) Reid, who, when he was a child eight 
years old, removed from the Kej'stone .State to 
Iowa, and located near Davenport. 

Frank D. Reid, after a primar}' course in the 
common schools, pursued his studies, lirst at Oska- 
loosa College, whence he graduated in the class of 
187t, and afterward entered the law department of 



the Ihiiversit^v of Iowa, from which he graduated 
in 1879. He was admitted to the bar in the fall 
of that yeai', and at once began practice at Oska- 
loosa. 

Mr. Reid was married, .hine 14, 187(1, in Oska- 
loosa, to Miss Blanche, the daughter of Benjamin 
Heatty, of Lincoln, Neb. Mrs. Reid was born in 
Mason County, Iowa, and of her marriage there 
are four children, two sons and two daughters — 
Frank B., Alice E., .Tessie B. and .John B. Our 
subject and his wife belong to the Christian 
Church, and politicallj' Mr. Reid affiliates with the 
Rcpulilican party. 






<if/OSEl'II F. SMITH, M. D., who resides .at 
Taintor, is numbered among the oldest phy- 
sicians of Mahaska Count}'. He was born 
in Virginia, Dec. 1 3, 1 823, and is a son of 
George and Ann (Ellis) Smith, both natives of the 
same State. His early life was passed on the farm, 
during which time he received a common-school 
education. He resided in his native State until 
1849, when he went to Xenia, Ohio, and in the 
spring of the following year came to Iowa, stop- 
ping at Oskaloosa, and engaged in teaching near 
that city. In the spring of 1852 he began the 
study of medicine, with Dr. S. E. Rhinehart as pre- 
ceptor. He attended the St. Louis Medical Col- 
lege during the winters of 1853 and 1854, then 
practiced medicine at Granville, Iowa, to provide 
means to complete his course of stud}', .and gradu- 
ated from that institution in 1 85G. 

In 1.S54 Dr. Smith was married to Miss Ellen 
Cunningham, and of this union three sons were 
born, one of whom died in infanc}', and two are 
yet living — .John C. and George F". The Doctor 
continued in the practice of medicine at (iranville 
until 1883, with the exception of seven months 
spent in Nebraska and sixteen months in the late 
Civil War. He was commissioned Assistant Sur- 
geon of the 8th Iowa Cavalry in May, 1864, and 
served until the close of the war, Aug. 13, 1805. 
Col. J. B. Door, of the 8th Iowa Cavalry, in his re- 
port to Gen. N. B. Baker, Adjutant General of 
Iowa, says: "From June 11. 1804, the detachment 



W 

W 




m 










nxirrarrrmrm 



47fi 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



at Kingston, Ga., and the entire regiment from 
Sept. 2.5, 1S()4, was unrler the medical care of Dr. 
.1. F. Smith, Assistiut Surgeon. He has been with 
it during the entire campaign, and shared in all its 
hardships, and proved himself a most eflicieut and 
skillful officer, as vvell as in all respects a gentle- 
man. The health of the command is the best evi- 
dence of his efficienc}'." 

In 1877 Dr. Smith establiSlied a general store at 
(iranville, continuing in business there until 1883, 
when the stock was removed to Taintor, where the 
business has since been conducted. Since locating 
at Taintor he only professionally attends to office 
[nactice. The Doctor is a Roj'al Arch Mason, and 
a member of Hiram Chapter No. G, of Oskaloosa. 
He was first made a Mason in 1852. Politically he 
was a Whig in earlj' life, but since the organization 
of the Republican party has been a supporter of its 
principles, but has never taken any especial interest 
in politics outside of the local offices of his town- 
ship and County. In his. long years of residence in 
tills county, while accumulating his present com- 
fortable competence, the Doctor ha ; established an 
enviable reputation among the people, and none 
possess more noble qualities of head and heart, or 
enjoy more fully the confidence and regard of his 
fellow-citizens. 



ANIEL S. PRINE is a native of Kentucky, 
and was born in Fleming County, Aug. 
2;3, 181G, his parents being Matthew and 
Elizabeth Prine. Our subject is num- 
bered among the earliest settlers of Mahaska 
County, arriving here in 1846, and entering a claim 
on section -H of Garfield Township. 

He was married, Oct. 15, 1837. to Nancj- A. 
Thrasher, a native of Pendleton County, Ky. Of 
their children seven lived to mature age: William 
H., now living in Madison Township; Mar}' Jane, 
now the wife of (Tcorge C'orwin, of Des Moines; 
.Miles M., now living in Garfield Township; Hat- 
tie, who married Charles Rodgers,and died in 1879; 
Elizabeth P., wife of .Jacob Himes, of Adams 
County; Caroline, wife of Samuel Lathrop: Pau- 
lina, wife of Jacob Turner, of Oskaloosa. Mrs. 




Prine died April 18, 1886, aged seventy years andi 
one week. She was a member of the Christian 
Church, of which body Mr. Prine is also a member. | 
In politics he is a Greenbacker. With the other j 
pioneers who yet remain, Mr. Prine has witnessed] 
many changes in the forty years of his life in Ma- ! 
haska County. \ 

~^^ ••o*o.i5^X^..o*o <.f^~ I 



D. SHAUL, of Cedar Township, is a farmer §•; 
and breeder of fine stock, residing on section 
.i. He was born in Herkimer County, N. 
(^^' Y., May 20, 1841, and is the son of David 
S. and Catherine (Hoke) Shaul. John Shaul, 
father of David S. and grandfather of the subject 
of this sketch, was taken prisoner by the Indians 
twelve miles from Ft. Plains, Montgomery Co., N. 
Y., together with two of his brothers, one older 
and one younger than himself, in the year 1770, 
and remained among the Indians for five years. 
The boys were aged respectively, sixteen, fourteen 
and eleven j'ears. David S. and Catherine Shaul 
were born in Montgomery County, N. Y., and are 
both now deceased ; the former died in New York, 
June 21, 1878, and the latter at Saratoga Springs. 
During their lives they followed the occupation of 
farming and dairying. 

The subject of this sketch, J. D. Shaul, removed 
from New York to Detroit, Mich., in 1872, remain- 
ing there three years, and thence came to the city 
of Oskaloosa, near which he resided for six j'ear>. 
during which time he visited the Black Hills in 
Dakota, and upon his return purchased a farm in 
Cedar Township, where he now resides. 

Feb. 13, 1878, he was married to Miss Dosha 
Thornburg, a daughter of Thomas and Nancy 
(Moorman) Thornburg. By this union there were 
two children: Mary, born May 16, 1879, died 
May 16, 1880; J. Y., born Sept. 8, 1881. Mr.and 
Mrs. Shaul are members of the Societj' of Friends. : 
Politically his affiliations are with the Republican 
liarty. ' ; 

Mr. Shaul owns 160 acres of fine land, all in good - - 
cultivation and well improved, with a good house, : ■,^ 
barn and other out-buildings, and everything about : ^ 
the place is . in first-class repair. There are also " ^ 




^^^ hBIHH 




.a 



nrrrr.ri 



IS 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



4/7 



upon the farm two oooil orchards of boariiiirapple- 
trees, second to iiono in their yield and in the<(nal- 
ity of fruit. In addition to hi> u^eiu'ra! farininf;-. 
he niakef>a specialty of tiie lireedin;;- of Short-honi 
cattle, and has a ver}- nice lierd of tliese animals, 
representing some of the best families in .\inerica. 
and has also tuiiied his attention to the breeding 
of (irst-class I'oland-C'hina iiogs, and of tliese has 
some very fine specimens, eligible to ivcord. and 
from the best recorded families in this and other 
States. 

Mr. Shaul is an excellent manager, a tluprdugh- 
going, systematic farmer and stock-raiser, and has 
made a success of liotli branches of his l)usiness. 
lie is a man of gnod aliility. a reader and thinker. 
a close observer of events, and in all the relations 
of life most honorable and upright, and is greatly 
esteemed b_v his friends and acquaintances. 

[iJj--^ KNKV KLINKKU, an enterprising farmer 
of Union Townshii), was born in Ohio, Sept. 
;•, ls:{.i, and is a sou of .1. J, and Margaret 
^^' (McC'abe) Klinker. The former was born 
in (iermauy in the year ISOT, and came to the 
United States in 1818. His mother was born in 
Fairfield Connty, Ohio. Henry Klinker came to 
this State with his father in the year 1844, and lo- 
cated in Keokuk County, where he lived for one 
year and then came to this count}', residing with 
his father until the year 1858, when he was married 
to Miss Caroline Caster. C)f this union seven chil- 
dren have been born: Margaret K. is the wife of 
A. \V. Simmons, of Ottumwa; John B. is deceaseil ; 
Larrie J. is a student at college in Oskaloosa ; Lucy 
E. is the wife of Charles Morrison, of this town- 
ship; Louis \V., Charles J. and Kzey C. are at 
home. 

In his political attiliations .Mr. Klinker is a Dem- 
ocrat. He is also a member of the Masonic fra- 
ternity and Knights of Pythias. Himself and wife 
are acceptable members of the Christian Church. 
The home farm of our subject is on section 2.'i of 
this township, and is very fertile land, under good 
cultivation and well improved. .Mr. Klinker has 
been fairly successful in life, and enjoy.- a sutli- 



ciency of this world's goods as a consequence of 
his untiring industry and the proper conduct of his 
affairs, lie is a good citizen in all respects, and 
stands high in the estimation of neighbors and 
friends. 



^T<E 




E0R(;K N. DUXCAX, deceased, one of the 
pioneers of Oskaloosa, was born in IJarnanI, 
\'t.,in April, 181;'). When a young man he 
came West and settled in \'au 15uren Count}% Iowa, 
where he became acquainted with Hannah Peck, 
who was born in Ohio, Aug. 18, 1823,and to whom 
he was married in Van Buren County in I<s4(i. 
Her parents were pioneers in this new country, :uid 
it will be noticed tliat our subject was married in 
this State at a verj- early time in its historj-. In 
1850 they moved to Oskaloosa, where Mr. Duncan 
died the following j-ear. He was a man highly re- 
spected b}- all, and the people came from far and 
near to attend the last sad rites over that which 
was mortal of the old pioneer. 

Mr. and Mrs. Duncan were the parents of five 
children, onl}- one of whom is living, Thomas .1.. 
at Leadville, Col. In IS.^G Mrs. Duncan married 
Perrj- Windsor, who died within a year of their 
marriage. Mrs. Windsor is the oldest but one <>( 
an}' settler in this county, having been identified 
with the county for forty-three years. 



<| felLLIAM W. WINDER, a well-known citi- 
\^// zen of New .Sharon, is the eldest son of 
\y^ James and Eliza Winder, whose biography 
appears elsewhere in this book. He was born in 
Ross County, Ohio, Dec. 4, 1836, and spent his 
early life upon the farm, but came to Iowa with his 
family and worked with his father at the carpenter's 
trade at New Sharon. In 1861 he enlisted in Co. 
H, 8th Iowa \'ol. Inf., and served with his com- 
mand until May, 1862, when he w.as discharged on 
account of physical disability. Returning from 
the army, he again resided at New Sharon until tlu' 
fall of 1 864, when he returned to Ohio and learned 
the art of photography. In isiw he returned t<i 
New Sii.-iron and eiig.-iged in agricultural pursuit-. 




<<IXZZX3 1 1 1 T 1 1 1 X 



miiriiirrfi 




.***.-' 






3 




g»XXXITTT-^TTTirTTTrTm^T-rTT'r>~ 






rtTr r«-r»-T mrrrr TTT~» rtrrrrmrrfT • 



larirrxitii 



478 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



but his impaired health not permitting such ardu- 
ous labor, he discontinued farming, and in 1 870 
began work at the hiisincss of barbering, wIul-Ii he 
has since continued. 

During thf year ls7() 'Sir. Winder was united 
in marriage with Miss Deltorah Sharp, a daughter 
of Isaac and Lydia Sharp, and to them six chil- 
dren were born, five of whom died in infancy, and 
one son, Albert C, is living. Mr. Winder is a 
member of the Masonic fraternity and I. O. O. F. 
He has filled all the chairs in the fraternity of Odd 
Fellows save that of Secretary, and has for several 
years been Tyler of the Masonic Lodge. 

Politically Mr. Winder is a Republican, but takes 
no especial interest in politics aside from support- 
ing the candidates and advocating the principles of 
his party. Mr. Winder is a quiet, unassuming citi- 
zen, and a man of irre|)roachable character, enjoy- 
ing in a large degree the esteem of his friends and 
acquaintances. 



UFUS PUTNAM BACON, one of the pio- 
neers of the Hawkeye State, arrived within 
its borders in the summer of 1848. He came 
^to this County accompanied by his brother 
John, who is now a resident of White Oak Town- 
shi)). They purch.ised '200 acres of school land on 
time, being without cash capital. Rufus P. left 
his brother in charge of the land and started out to 
earn mone3' to assist in paying for it. The follow- 
ing spring found him in Keokuk, where he was 
variousl}' employed until fall, when he started for 
California. He spent the winter following in 
Panama. On the '2d of Maj', 1850, he continued 
his journey to the Golden State, and after arriving 
there engaged in mining for the following tlu'ee 
years, meeting with fair success. He then returned 
to Iowa via Nicaragua and New York City, and 
found that his land was of pour quality, so he 
abandoned it and purchased another 300 acres in 
Monroe Township. 

Tiiat same month (May) Mr. Bacon was united 
in marriage with Miss Pha'be A., daughter of 
Butler Dunbar, and locating upon his land, engaged 
in agricultural pursuits there until ISi;.'). He then 




sold out, and removing to Oskaloosa, engaged with 
different partners in the grocery trade until 1873, 
when he practically retired from active business. 

The subject of this history was born in Wash- 
ton County, Ohio, Nov. 24, 1825, his parents being 
William and Eleanor (Miller) Bacon, both of En- 
glish ancestr}', and natives respectively of New York 
and Ohio. The parental famil}' included thirteen 
children, ten of whom grew to mature years. The 
mother of our subject died when he was but seven 
years old, and his father afterward married Miss 
Nancy ^"ineent, of which union there were born 
four children. After the death of his mother, our 
subject resided with an uncle at Marietta, Ohio. He 
received but a common-school education, as he 
could only pursue his studies during the winter 
months. His uncle was a tinner Ijy trade, which 
our subject also learned, and followed it until the 
time of coming west. 

Mr. Bacon is the only man wlio ever went to 
California all the way by water at that time. His 
brother. Eli (i., who .accompanied him, is now a resi- 
dent of \\'ashington Territory, where our sul>ject 
has visited him. 

In politics Mr. Bacon is a stanch Republican, 
and lias frequently been the incumbent of local of- 
fices, lie is now serving his fifth year as a mem- 
ber of the County Board of Supervisors. Socially 
he is Knight Templar in the Masonic fraternity. 
He has been prominent in the political affairs of 
this .section, and as a journali.st and newspaper man 
obtained an enviable rejiutation. Mr. and Mrs. 
Bacon have no children. 



-€^l 



::i; 



"■;i 



^- 




ON. BEN McCOl', of the firm of Bolton & 
IMcCoj', of Oskaloosa, was born in Jefferson ii 
County, Ind., March 22, 1846. He is the 
son of James and Lovisa (Nicholson) Mc- 
Coy, both natives of Kentucky, but who emigrated 
with their parents to Indiana at an early day. In 
the year 1850 thej' emigrated to Mitchell Count3% 
Iowa, the same year removing to this county, but 
are now living in Keokuk County, Iowa. They 
are members of the Baptist Church. 

The subject of this sketch was nine years old 






Ci22^£S IVFT^rTi^t 







agsssBsss 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



\ : 
■I) : 
ru : 

1 : 

'L :: 

:!:: 

n ,; 
ri;: 



479 



"I 
h 



h' : 



u;: 

I 

UK 
1351 

Jl 

\: : 

^ : 
\- 

h 



In 5 



I 



1; 



when his icireiits came to Miihiiskji C'uiintj-. He at- 
tended tlie public schools until he reached the age 
of seventeen years, when he was sent to Cornell 
College, at Mt. N'ernon, Iowa, and graduated with 
honors in the c Lass of 18U!S. In 1X71 he entered the 
hnv office of Seevers & Cutts, and the following year 
was admitted to the bar. He taught school the 
winter of 1JS71, and in IMarch, 1H72, removed to 
Keokuk Count}', Iowa, where he commenced the 
practice of his ])rofessioii as a member of the firm 
of Andrews (fe McCoy. In Jauuar}', liS71, he re- 
turned to Oskaloosa, and formed the present part- 
nership. He served as City Solicitor of Oskaloosa 
during the year 187G. In the 3'ear 187.3 he was 
the successful candidate of the Republican party 
for the office of Senator of Mahaska Count}'. Mr. INIc- 
Coy enliste<l in 1864 in Co. II. 4(;th Iowa \'ol. Inf., 
from Keokuk Count}', and was stationed at Helena, 
Ark. Mr. McCoy is a Knight Temiilar. and is 
affiliated with De Payens Conimandery No. fi, 
Oskaloosa. 

Mr. .McCoy was married in Mahaska County, 
.bill. 1, 1870, to Miss Mary M. Di.xon, a daughter 
of the Hon. John N. Dixon, who at the time rep- 
resented tills county in the State Senate. Four 
children are the issue of this marriage — Eva, 
.loini N., Ralph S. and Hugh B. Mr. McCoy is a 
careful, painstaking lawyer, a fluent, graceful and 
convincing advocate before a jury, and a host upon 
the stump in advocacy of the principles of the Re- 
publican party. As a citizen, he ranks among the 
l)est, and ha.s more friends and less enemies than 
any other man in tlie count}'. 

\T^ZRA M. WOODWORTH, M. D., who is 
Ja numbered among the oldest physicians of 
/iLi^ Mahaska County, was born in Ohio, Jan. 21, 
1831. His parents, Reuben and Polly (Benedict) 
Woodworth, were natives of the State of New 
York. The early life of the Doctor was passed 
upon the farm, and he also learned the carpenter's 
trade. On his first coming to Iowa he stop[)ed in 
Wapello County, where he entered some land, but 
after one season sold out and went to Pella, Jlarioii 
County, wiiorc he read nicdicinc with Dr. Hunts- 



man, subsequently taking a course of lectures at 
Keokuk. He located at Hopewell, this county, but 
later took a course of lectures at the Michigan llni 
versity at Aiui Arbor, and in 18.59 located at Peo 
ria, where he has since been practicing. He, how- 
ever, again attended lectures at Keokuk, gradua- 
ting. 

In 18.VJ Dr. Woodwortii was married to Eveline 
Ilinkle, a native of Ohio, and daughter of Peter 
and Louisa Ilinkle. Of this union two children 
were born — Alice E. and Cora E. Politically the 
Doctor is a Greenbacker, but was formerly a Re- 
l)ublican. He is a member of Central Lodge No. 
388, A. F. & A. M. 



"ji? ABAN MOORE, an old resi.lent :ind highly 
I /@ respected farmer of Harrison Township, is 
jl^^^ comfortably located on section 12, where 
for many years he has carried on his agricultural 
operations successfully, and during a long and 
worthy life has established himself in the esteem 
and confidence of his fellow-citizens. He was born 
near Richmond, Va., on the 31st of March, 1803, 
and is the son of William and Sarah Moore, both 
of whom were natives of \'irginia. They removed 
from the Old Dominion to Kentucky in ISO.'.. 
when our subject was less than a year old, and 
William Moore died there in l.S(!4. The mother 
died in Macoupin County, 111., in about I«.')l). 

The subject of this history removed from Ken- 
tucky to I'nion County, Ind., and after three years 
went to Boone County, of which he remained a 
resident for a period of twenty years. Thence he 
came to Iowa, in 185.'), and has remained until the 
present time, being occupied in farming pursuits. 
He was united in marriage with Miss Nancy B. 
Franklin, a native nf \\ aiien County, Ky., who was 
born Feb. 23, 18 in. Her parents were Joel and 
Mary (Mitchell) Franklin, and natives of North 
Carolina, lioth now deceased. The father was killed 
by being thrown from a horse while still a young 
man; the motlier, who was born Oct. 22, 1781. 
lived to be ninety years of age. 

.Mr. and .Mrs. Moore became the i)arents of thir- 
teen children — Wilson F., Sarah, Elizabeth. Mar\ 




11 



I I 



n 

Hi 

11 

Pi 

i-ii 



1 



m 



t Tr-uni3TTT-i 



ii'ijniixTlJI 



raixT nTTTT riT r ij » rrxxiTTxm I c 



I KIIXI 



-^iiE 



JiHIIl 



fe 



480 



I |IIXIIXIIXIXIXIIIXT rTTTTTTrXTI] 

MAHASKA COUNTY. 



E., William F., Martha Jane, Juliana A., Rachel E., 
Nanc.y B., James L., Francis A., Paulina E. and 
Peter. Mr. Moore is the owner of 327 acres of 
fine farminu' land, highly cultivated, and supplied 
with good biiildiugs. lie lias been a man of great 
industry and energy, and has been prospered as he 
deserves in his farniiug and business transactions. 
Both he and his wife are members in good standing 
of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and in politics 
Mr. Moore is an iinconiproniising Democrat. 




1 



(OIIN MILLS LACEV, deceased, was born at 
Barnesville, Ohio, Aug. 9, l.Sl-2, and died at 
Oskaloosa, Iowa, May 2, 1«80. His boy- 
i(^/' hood days were passed at Cadiz, Ohio. Aug. 
27, IH.So, he was united in marriage with Miss 
Eleanor Patten, a daughter of Isaac Patten, of 
Belmont County, Ohio. This union proved a most 
happy one, and was blest with six children, two of 
whom are deceased: Eliza A. died in l.S,50, in in- 
fancy, and James F. in the United States service 
in 18(12. The living children are Mrs. Mary H. 
Smith, of Hannibal, Mo.; Isaac P., of Salem, Ore.; 
Maj. John F., whose biography apjjears elsewhere, 
and William K., of Oskaloosa, Iowa. 

The subject of this sketch was of French ances- 
try. The family originally settled in the State of 
Delaware, where his grandfather, Spencer L.acey, 
lived and died. The father of our subject, John M. 
i Lacey, Sr., emigrated from the State of Delaware 






to Cadiz, Ohit>, where he resided for many years. He 
died at the ripe old age of eighty-eight years. Our 
n ;: in|i subject in his newly married life settled at New Mar- 
nfiinl tinsville, W. Va., remaining there until 1853, when 
he removed to Wheeling, and in 1855 came tt) Os- 
kaloosa, which he afterward made his home. Here 
**^ he lived an honored and an honorable life for a 
quarter of a century. 

Although never a seeker after the honors and 
preferir.ents of political life, Mr. Lacey always took 
an active part iu every campaign, first as a Whig, 
and afterward as a Republican. His religious con- 
ij nection was with the Methodist Episcoi>al Chinch, 
of which he was a member for fifty years, and was 
a consistent and highly resi)ectcd nu-niber of that 






religious organization. His earh" education was 
siicii as the common schools supplied, but lie was a 
great reader, and kept himself well informed upon 
all matters of current interest. He was a genial 
companion, a loving husband, and a kind and in- 
dulgent father. He was never a man of more than 
moderate means, but his word in a financial trans- 
action was as good as gold. In the expression of 
his opinions upon all debatable questions, he was 
ever earnest and pronounced, and the weight of his 
influence was ever with the moral side of every 
issue. His last illness was of considerable duration 
and great suffering. His tenacity of life and nerv- 
ous force, while enduring most excruciating pain, 
were a source of wonder to his physician and 
friends. There being some doubt as to the cause 
of his death, a [)ost mortem examination was held, 
and thirty-six gravel were found in the bladder, 
one nearl}- as large as a hen's egg. Throughout all 
his painful illness he looked forward to death, and 
hoped for it without fear and as a release from 
pain. His was a forceful character, strong at everj- 
point, liable only to criticism because of his radi- 
calism in the expression of ideas which he believed 
to be right, but he was ever found upon the side of 
right, and was ever a defender of the cause of the 
oppressed, and his example exercised its influence 
upon those with whom he was associated. They 
might not always agree with him, but were com- 
pelled to acknowledge the soundness of the posi- 
tion he assumed, and though the summons came to 
him that sooner or later ct)mes to all, the impress 
of his life and character yet remains. Those who 
knew him best and loved him most, miss him even 
yet, and speak of him reverently'. 



!fi 



y-^«-«i)>-^'$s^ 



^YlAMES 1!. BOLTON, senior partner of the 
I firm of Bolton & McCoy, attorneys at Oska- 
loosa, was born near Mt. Yeruon, Ohio, Dec. 
21, 1840, and is the son of A. J. and Jane 
(Price) Bolton. Uotli of whom were natives of 
Ohio. Here .1. B. was reared initil twenty-three | 
years of age, attending ilartiusburg Seminary for 
three years, and teaching in one department for :ij 
two years as assistant of Profs. Downs and Finney. ! 



SiES^Sa 



J^'r^Fr^r^rl 






MAHASKA COUNTY. 



4 SI 



^■i:"- 



Following- tliis he took (ip the study of Inw with 
Arcssrs. Scriliner & Curtis, of Mt. N'enioii, Oliin, 
Imt lit the eiiil of six mimths iibandoiied his reail- 
iiig on aceouiit of expense. mihI followed teMchinii 
for :i time. 

Mr. Holloii enlisted in the .">d Ohio Inl:inlrv at 
the first eall, and was soon aftei- diseharued. as he 
eoidd not pass muster by reason of disability. In 
.Mareh. ISd;!, he eaine to Poweshiek County, Iowa, 
where he followed te.tehing and farniinu- up to tlie 
year ISfiC!, when he w.as engaged in fai'ming until 
ISTd, in the meantime pursuing his legal studies 
and purehasing his library. He came to Oskaloo.sa 
in l.sTd, and the following year was atlmitted to 
the bai-. In 1 s7 1 the present firm of IJolton it 
MeCo}' was formed. 

Mr. Bolton wa.s made a Mason in Oskaloo.sa, and 
is a Knight Templar. Ilis earl}^ political affiliations 
were with the Republican party, but of late years 
he has east his lot with the Democracy. He is not 
what would be termed a i)olitician, and has never 
sought nor desired office. He is a fluent speaker, 
and is a tower of strength to his i)arty in the active 
work of the campaign. Mr. Bolton takes .an active 
interest in all affairs of the ct)unty, and evinces 
great interest in her prosperity and that of the city. 
He is one of the leading attorneys of the county, 
and the firm of which he is a member enjoys ;i 
lucrative and growing practice. 

Our subject was married in Mahaska County, 
I(jwa, .March HI, IStw;, to .Vnnie ^NIcMains, a 
daughter of .lohn .and .Jane (Goddard) McMains. 
Mrs. Bolton was born in this county. The issue of 
this marriage is one son. Leslie, who is at |)reseMt 
attending school at Notre Uame, ind. 



*^ 



I 

151 



\f)OIIN FUNSTON resides on section 22, in 
Bl.-ick Oak Township, where he settled in 
l.H.')S. He is a native of Columbia Country, 
I I'a., his birth taking i>lace .Ian. 24, isii), 
and is the son of .le.sse and .Sarah (Tempieton) Fun- 
ston. both natives of the above-named count}'. In 
Its.i'.i the family removed to "St. Joseph County, 
Ind., where tlie father died at the advanced age of 
eii;lifv-oni' vears. and the niothei' at tlie age of 



m 



sixty -six. There were eleven children in the family, 
one of whom died in infancy, ten attained tlicii 
majority, and seven .ire still living, of whom the 
subject of our sketch is the eldest. 

.lohn Funston grew to manhood in his native 7.^;"? 
county, performing the arduous work incident to 
farm life, and receiving onl}' a common-school edu- 
cation. He removed with his parents, at the age 
of twenty yeai's, to St. .loseph Conntj', Ind., and ;" 
continued his work on the farm until November, 
l.S')l, when he went to Calif()rnia, making the 
journey by way of New York City and the Isth- 
mus of Panama. He followed mining about four- - 
teen months, and then became the Superintendent 
of a water company, and in 1856 purchased a toll- 
bridge, which proved a most profitable speculation, -^ 
but .as that country was over-run by rutlians and 
thieves at that time, and a man was alwaj's in dan- 
ger of his life, he sold out in 18.')8, and returned 
home by the same route he pursued in going. Soon pi -' 
after rcachina: home he concluded to make a west- ^^ '" 
ern tri|), with a view of inspecting the country, and tl' ; 
arriving in this county jnirchased 210 acres of f^^ 
land in lilack Oak Township, for which he paid >il2 
per acre. 

Mr. Funston returned to ludi.-iiia in November, 
1.^.5.s, and the following March. was married to Lo- f[j^=^. 
visa S. Lowry, .-i daughter of .lames and JIary 
Lowry, all natives of the State of Delaware. Two 
weeks after their marri.age they came to Iowa and 
located on their present home. Mr. and Mrs. Fun- 
ston have had but one child, a daughter, Mary A., 
who died in infanc}', Politicallj' Mr. Funston is a 
Republican, and has served as .Justice of the Peace 
several terms. His father was an old-line Whig. 

Mr. Fuuston's landed possessions amount to 415 
acres of splendid land, which by the Labor of his 
hands has been brought to a high state of culti- 
\ation. .ind all of its improvements are of the bet- 
ter class. In the year 187(5 he concluded he had 
enough of this world's goods to enable him to pass 
his remaining days in comparative ease, .and since 
that date he has leased his land. 

Mr. F'unston has always been a very prudent 
man in the management of his aflfairs, and it has 
been his invariable rule never to go into debt, and 
to pay cash for everything he had occasion to bn}'. 



11 

il 
11 






i 




Ml.l.'.»i'.!.'i.'i'.fi'i?.^W ' f.W 

gWi WmtWWM !i't'.'J'.JL'i-.'i!4'J 



tzrtxx-xitr 



jtixxixzjrxu 




In 




mSirJn 






482 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



and from this rule he has never varied but on one 
occasion, when he borrowed $100, and that only for 
a few days. It is a very pleasant thing to contem- 
plate — a life of ease with a competence back of it 
— and if any people on earth are entitled to this 
desirable condition of things it is certainly those 
who have endmed the hardships and privations of 
pioneer life. John Funston is a man who enjoys the 
|1 esteem of everyone, and is fully deserving of the 
high regard in which he is held. His whole career 
has been an admirable one, and is worth}- the con- 
templation and imitation of the young men of to- 
day. Religiously he is connected with the Chris- 
tian Church. 



-i^^l- 



-*7^ 



EBECCA LAWRANCE, of Richland Town-, 
ship, was born in Union County, Ohio, 
iv^l April 19, 1821, and came to Iowa .and set- 
^^tled in this county in the j'ear 1845. April 
12, 1848, she was united in marri.age with William 
Lawrauce, who died in this count}' June 21, 1874. 
,.p-j-j- They became the parents of eight children : Charles 
jj j is deceased; Cora, the wife of James Samuels, lives 
jp^jl in Richland Township; Emma is at home; Eliza, 
p y' tlie wife of Philip Apple, is a resident of this town- 
1 j shi|); Caroline is deceased; Amelia, the wife of 
n ]iy \\iniam Evans, lives in Granville, Iowa; William 
^^1 is a resident of this township ; Melissa is the wife 
^^ of Thomas Canine, and is a resident of Adams 
W County, Iowa. 



i"^ The old homestead where Mrs. Lawrauce now 
resides has been her continuous home for forty 
years. There was little else than bleak prairie in 
Richland Township when they settled there, and 
neighbors were few and far between. One might 
in those days cast the sight in any direction, and 
for miles on either side of him, the residence of np 
j friend or neighbor obstructed the view. Around 
3 the little liome that she and her husband built and 
occupied in that early day, is now a comparatively 
dense population, and the handsomest portion of 
the entire county. Her husband was quite a prom- 
inent man in the township during his lifetime, held 
many of its important olHces, and enjoyed the con- 
tideuee and regard of all his acquaintances. His 



widow is an acceptable member of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, and a lady greatly esteemed for 
the Christian graces that adorn her noble woman- 
hood. 

eAPT. JOSEPH H. EVANS is a well-known 
farmer residing upon section 2, of Jefferson 
Township. He is a native of Maryland, 
born Aug. 10, 1822, and is a son of Jacob and 
Mary Evans, both of whom were natives of Wales. 
His father died when he was one year old, and his 
mother when he was twelve years of age. He 
was then taken by an uncle, Jesse Evans, who 
lived in Tippecanoe County, Ind., where he spent 
his youth and worked in a mill until 1854. 

Capt. Evans was married in 1 .S44, to Lucy A. 
Gerard, a native of Indiana, Itorn Dec. 30, 1827, 
and a daughter of Joseph and Ann (Uollison) Ger- 
ard. Nine children were born to them: Mary J., 
born .So})t. 19. 1845, is now the wife of Joseph 
Blakeslee. of Des Moines City ; Harvey P., born Jan. 
;J, 1848, by profession a school teacher and farmer, 
died June 9, 1877; Alonzo T., born in La Porte, 
fnd., April 18, 1850, died July 2, 1878; Charles P., 
born Oct. 12, 1852, died Aug. 7, 1860; Jesse A., 
born in Jones County, Iowa, Sept. 30, 1856, is now 
engaged in teaching and farming in this county ; 
Eleanor, born in Jones County, Iowa, Jan. 23, 1859, 
is now the wife of J. G. Harrold, a farmer of Ues 
Moines Township ; Edward M., a twin brother of 
Eleanor, is a farmer and school teacher in this 
county; Ann, born April 9, 1862; Joseph Howard, 
born in Mahaska County, Nov. 6, 1869, died Aug. 
13, 1871. Mrs. Evans died March 3, 1881. She 
was a member of the Universalist Church, of which 
body Capt. Evans is also a member. Mr. Evans 
was again united in marriage Nov. 25, 1886, choos- 
ing as a companion Sarah M. Timms, daughter of 
Richard and Elizabeth (Bibbee) Timms, both of 
whom were natives of West \'irginia. 

On the 12th of August, 1862, Mr. Evans enlisted 
in Co. G, 31st Iowa Vol. Inf., as a private, being 
promoted Captain March 31, 1863, and served as 
such through the war, taking part in the battles of 
Chickasaw, Walnut Hill, Port Gibson, Brush Creek, 
Raymond, Jackson, siege of Mcksburg forty -seven 



tSr'Hr^r^fO 







lit: 

If 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



483 



I- 
u. 

lift 

1 

1 



i':,: 
Mi 



i 

Is 

13 



I 
iJ; 

1.;; 
1-: 



Si 






daj'S, second battle of Jackson, IJecatur. 'renn., 
Lookout Mountain, Mission Uidu^e, Delta. Resaca, 
Dallas, New llujje C'luircli, Snake Creek, Kennesaw 
Mountain, I'eacii Orehard, Ackworth, Chattahoo- 
chee River, siege of Atlanta, Jonesboro, Lovejo}' 
Station, and Bentonsville, N. C. After this Last 
battle the regiment went to NVashington and par- 
ticipated in the gr;ind review. Capt. Kvans was 
never off dut}' during the tliree years of his service. 
At the close of the war our subject returned to 
his home in .Jones County, Iowa, and remained un- 
til the spring of 1869, when he came to Mahaska 
County, where he bought a farm of 180 acres of 
land on sections 1 and 2, .lefferson Township, where 
he has since continued to reside. Ilis farm is well 
improved and the dwelling-house on it cost $2,200. 
While a resident of Jones County and before the 
war, Capt. Evans served eight years as Justice of 
the Peace. He was elected a member of the Lower 
House of the 18th General Assembly from Mahaska 
Count}', and served not onlj' with credit to himself 
but to his constituents. At present he is a member 
of the Board of Supervisors. In politics he is a 
stanch Republican, believing in the principles of 
the party, which he is ready to defend upon .anj' 
and ever}' occasion. Socially he is a mendjer of 
the Masonic fraternity. 




Kl : 

'^'■■ 
il : 

1=5 
H - 

I ,: 

1 "* 

Jl 

\H 

v.: 
tJ-: 
K '- 



'/ M. BYKRS, who is numliered among the 
earl}- settlers of Oskaloosa, was bt)rn in Mer- 
cer County, Pa., Feb. 12, 1814. His father, 
William Byers, located in Mercer County in 
1797, being one of the Commissioners to organ- 
ize the county in 1801. and was the first Sheritf 
of that county. He was a soldier in the Revolu- 
tionary War and also in the War of 1H12. He was 
married in Allegheny County, Pa., near Pittsburgh, 
to Anne Larimer, a cousin of Gen. Larimer, and a 
native of Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Byers be- 
came the parents of nine children, tiiree of whom 
are living: .Marv is the widow of Andrew Morri- 
(ou,aud resides in rnionviUe, Appanoose Co., Iowa ; 



J. M. is the subject of this sketch; E. Wiley is a 
resident of Jlercer County, Pa. Mr. Byers was an 
old-line Whig and a great admirer of Henry Clay. 
He died in 1844, and his wife in 1847, both in the 
sevent3'-seventh year of tlieir age. 

The subject of this sketch was raised on a farm 
in Mei'cer County, Pa., receiving his early educa- 
tion in the proverl)ial logcal)inof tliat day. In his 
early days Mr. Byers learned the trade of stone- 
mason and plasterer, which business he followed for 
forty-flve years. In 1842 he came west with the 
intention of locating on the New Purchase in Ma- 
haska County, and while en route was taken sick 
with fever, which iUness ecjntinued for three months, 
and after his recovery he returned to Pennsylvania. 

Our subject was first married in Mobile, Ala., to 
Parmela II. Marshal, a grand-daughter of Chief Jus- 
tice Marshal. After a happy married life of two 
years she died, leaving one child, S. H. M. Byers. 
In 1839 he was again married, to Miss Eliza 
Birch, of Crawford County, Pa., b}- whom he 
had three children, two living: Anna, wife of S. 
E. Moreland, a merchant at White Rock, Kan., and 
James, a blacksmith at Nassau, Iowa. Mrs. Byers 
died in 184(), and in 1848 he was married to his 
present wife, Anna E. McVickers, of Ashtabula 
County, Ohio. By this marriage there are the fol- 
lowing-named children : Henry V., a graduate of 
King Medical College at Cincinnati, now a ph3'sician 
at Iledriek, Iowa; John D., a carpenter at Oska- 
loosa; Lj'dia J., the wife of John Moore, a farmer 
in Jefferson T( ) wnship, this county ; Carrie, a teacher 
in the High .School at (irinnell, Iowa; Nettie B., 
wife of Richard Hull, a farmer of Mahaska County, 
Iowa; Ch.arles II., a civil engineer, and a gi-aduate 
of Oskaloosa College, now in the employ of the 
C, M. (k St. P. R. R. 

Mr. Byers came to Iowa in 1851 and settled in 
Washinulon C'ounty, where he purchased a farm, 
disposing of the same and removing in 1853 to 
Oskaloosa. where he has since resided. Nearl}' or 
quite all the earlier brick structures of this citj' are 
monuments of his skill as a master builder. In 
1849 he wont to Cheyenne, W. T., and built a num- 
ber of the principal buildings of that city. In early 
life he was a Whig, but became a Republican when 
that part}- was formed, and by its suffrages has 



m 



1 1 



J 



Ml 
I 
IM 

M 



ill 



III 

mm 

imIi 

j. 

im 
m 






a^jj 




.^^SSSit 




T^TTi ^ n i-im-m-KJj iT' *'" 'ixni 



rzxzxxxzrxxm rxxz xttxxtxttxt:> 



m *8* 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



11 



I 



held several offices of local trust and importance. 
It was his pleasure to vote for Henry Clay three 
different times. 

Mr. and Mrs. Byers have been for many j'ears 
acceptable members of the Presbyterian Church. 
Two of his sons served during the War of the Re- 
bellion, Maj. S. H. M. Byers and James. Mr. Byers 
has been identified with Oskaloosa and its interests 
for the past thirty-three years, and has observed its 



im 




growth from an insignificant village to a prosper- 
ous city of nearly 7,000 people. As a husband and 
father none have been more kind, indulgent and 
loving than he. As a citizen alive to everything 
that has tended to the prosperity of his cit^' his word 
and his vote have on all occasions been upon the 
side of right. He is now enjoying, in his old age. 
the comforts and luxuries of life in the midst of 
and surrounded by his children. 





::m 



5^ 



m 




Trrixrrz I M riii txri fU^ni 



EHRsar^a 



I 



n.:'i 



I.: 

Iris 



I 

13: 



M 



m 

■u:iS 
i;: 



^.; 
I ■: 

1 



:t 



1 t 
T C 

'I 

I "■5 
I = 

P 



IS ^ r-i H iJyi 



KPr'r^r't^ 









iiniTnii iirTTtTrw-TtTTtrtllif 



3 [TZXTLLX:! IZIXlXXtXU 



rxlziixiirl^ 



■"«5ae_~ 



Hi 

HID 
IHIl 



111 



fWTw rwwirTrtwwTtrrwvrttwi 



KTTM 



oxrrrzrxxxxz: 



■ II till IIXITTIZ" 















il^ 



M B 



S5SHSI 



i j^^^jiii 










la 



a^ 



fos- p 



't^seeea" """" 'isaaaaa" 







MAHASKA COUNTY. 



497 



®i" 



■*■ 






fe^. 



-mi INTRODUCTORY, m- 






^> 



i/®^-- 



M^ 







iift^XK (.1 tlic fairest and liesl of 
till' coimties (if this hoaiiti- 
fiil Statf is that of Mahasi<a, 
"5^ ,-o named in lionor of tiie 
Indian Chief. Mahaska, .sig-- 
' -'■^ nifyinj.- •• Wiiite Cloud." A 
little less than h;df a eenturv has the 
a^^ ^ (iTritory now coinprisinij;- the connty 
T'liUVi ^ lie<>n the home of the white man. liut 
%}]^^ in that time what chaniJes have heeu 
wrought. A conntry riehl}' endowed 
by nature, which for long centnries 
was only the aliode of wild beasts 
it A ^ K •'""! f<'"''* of the air. and for a time 

bj' the wily re<l nian. who i-oanied at will over its 
broad lU'airies and through its groves, lishing in the 
waters of the rivers that glide through its borders. 
or hunting the g.ame wliieh everywhere abounded, 
has been transformed as if by the magician's wand 
into a country inhabited by civilized nn^n, who 
have built cities, towns and villages, erected beau- 
tiful chui'ch buihliugs. with their tall spires point- 
ing heavt'uward, planted a school-house upon al- 
most every cro.ss-road. [)Ut in motion manufMctories, 
built railroads, developed mines, and made for the 
present and future generations, beautiful homes 
with every comfort that heart can desire. Itisthf? 
province of the historian to relate how all this was 
brought about. In doing this it will be necessary 
to record the experience of the gr:nul men and 
women who were the pioneers in the settlement 



and devcloiinient of the country. The toils and 
privations of the early settlers of a new country 
can little l)e realized by the present generation, 
but not even u|)on the battle-Held has more heroism 
been shown than that of the pioneer in encounter- 
ing the triiils, not to say dangers, of a life in a new 
country. 

The question is often asked, why men leave the 
eomfiuts and |)leasures of civilized lands and strike 
out into a new and almost unknown country, bear 
ing the toils and privations which are unavoidable. 
Not more from choice than necessity did the old 
])ioneers bid farewell to the pla3'-grounds of their 
childhood and graves of their fathers. One gener- 
ation after another had worn themselves out in the 
service of avaricious landlords, or to eke out a mis- 
erable existence upon barren or worn-out land, 
which they called their own. Frcun the first dashes 
of the morning light until tiie last glimmer of the 
setting sun, tliej' had toiled unceasingly on from 
father to son, securing onl}- the bare necessities of 
life. M<uiey, pride and power were handed down 
in the line of succession fi'om the rich father to 
son, while unceasing work, continuous poverty', and 
everlasting obscurity' were the heritjige of the work- 
ing man and his children. For the sons and 
daughters of the poor man to remain there was to 
follow and never to lead — to be poor forever. 

Without nione3% prestige or friends, the old pio- 
ueei- drifted along toward the garden spot, the 
place where he might establish a lionie. where he 



Kl-Ml 







n 


i 


1 


^• 


1 


[l^i. 


^ 



iH 



IB 

4 










^ 



J. 
JH 

u 

mm 



1 



^.1 

w 





498 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



m 



might educate his sons and daughters, giving them 
privileges he never enjoyed himself. The bmad 
prairies and beautiful groves, together with an 
abundance of living water, of Mahasita County in 
that early day, were indeed inviting to th<jse seek- 
ing a home in a more favored land, and here lo- 
cated many of whom the present generation have 
reason to rise up, do them reverence, and call them 
blessed. To secure and adorn the homes desired 
b}' the pioneers, more than ordinary ambition was 
required, greater than ordinary' endurance de- 
manded. How well they have succeeded, let the 
broad, cultivated fields and fruit-bearing orchards, 
the flocks and the herds, the palatial residences, the 
places of business, the spacious halls, the clattering 
car-wheels and ponderous engines all testily. 

The first settlers of the new country at the pres- 
ent day know nothing of the trials of true pioneer 
life. There was a time when pioneers waded 
through deep snows, across bridgeless rivers and 



through bottomless sloughs, more than a score of 
miles to market, and when more time was required 
to reach and return from market than is now re- 
quired to cross the continent or the Atlantic Ocean. 
These were the times when their palaces were con- 
structed of logs and covered with ■' shakes " riven 
from the forest trees. These were the times when 
the children were stowed away at night in the low, 
dark attics, amid the horns of the elk and the deer, 
and where through the chinks in the •' shakes " they 
could Count the twinkling stars. These w^ere the 
times when the chairs and the bedsteads were hewn 
from the forest trees, and tables and bureaus con- 
structed from the boxes in which the goods were 
brought. The.se were the days when all were re- 
quired to work six days in the week and all the 
hours in a day from sunrise to sunset. Now all is 
changed. In vievving the blessings which surround 
us. we should reverence those who gave them, and 
cherish in memory the pioneer and his cabin. 








CHI : 

a! : 

a* ; 

[u : - 



Si 
I 

!;! 

1:1 
IH 
T-li 
\-< 
I? 

i;; 

\:: 

H-'i 

1 

!;■ 
1-; 



iS-FrV^n 



'S^^SS^' 



;3 



aiAHASKA COUNTY, 








X 11 d i a 11 H 18 1 (> in *i 







Sthe present gcneratiuu views 
tlie fields of waving grain, 
elogan t farm h< mses with siili- 
stantial out-buildings, vil- 
lages and cities, it cannot 
realize that it was once the 
home of the red men, who loved 
to tish in its numerous streams, 
to hunt over its liroad prairies 
and through its beautiful groves, 
and who called it home, while they 
worshiped the Great Spirit, thank- 
ing him that their lot was cast in 
such a beautiful land. But such 
was the case. 
The Sac and Fox Indians, when 
Northern Illinois was wanted for settlement l)y the 
whites, were forced across the Mississippi, but 
m!vny of them would not willingly remain, and un- 
der the lead of Black Hawk, in 1831 and again in 
1832, recrossed the river to the beautiful Rock 
River, where they had for years resided and which 
they hoped to repossess. An armed force was sent 
against them and they were again driven back to 
this reservation in Iowa. On account of tiiis 
trouble, known in history as the Black Hawk War, 
thej' were dispossessed of a [jortion of their Iowa 
country, which was rapidly taken possession of by 
the whites. 

Settlements were soon made in all that portion of 
the countrv obtained bv the treatv. and still the 



wliites were not satisfied, and it was determined to 
gain by purchase llie remaining portion of the Ter- 
ritory of Iowa inhabited by the Indians. Accord- 
ingly, what is known as the treat}' of 1 8-12 was ne- 
gotiated at the agency, what is now Agency City, 
in October of that year. (iov. .lolni Chambers 
acted as Commissioner on tlic part (.>f the Tnited 
States. By it the Sacs and Foxes relin(iui>licd to 
the I'nited States all their lands west <jf the Mis- 
sissippi to which they had any claim or title, and 
agreed to a removal from the country at the ex- 
piration of three years. In accordance with this 
treat}' a part of them were removed t<> Kan.sas in 
the fall of 1845, and the remainder in the spring of ■ 
184G. 

That portit)n of the Territory now comprising 
Mahaska County was a part of this purchase. It 
was origia.ally the home of a portion of the Sac and 
Fox tribes, an Indian village being located in White 
Oak Township, on Skunk River. This village was 
presided over by Kish-ke-kosh (the man with one 
leg off). This chief had the re])utalion of being 
qnite a wit, and a number of anecdotes are related 
illustrating that trait in his ch.aractcr. It is said of 
him, that when on the journey east in 1837, in 
compau}' with a delegation of chiefs, he afforded 
considerable amusement to the party and other- 
witnessing it, by the waj' in which he showed u|inu 
officious young man. While on board a steamer, 
the j'oung man, with a number of ^oung ladies. 
Went on board to sec the Imliaus. The v<'un;f man. 



ill 

1 

«, J 



1 I 

1 K 



li 



^ 









II 



I \ 
hi 



I Illlf I.UIIEX 



XlXXTLtXXXX. 




I X ti ruTXXXZiXTXXXum rxn 









5H??as^]n! 



rmTT rxTXT i - 




n^^Qzza 



r.OO 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 






ili 



"11 

riiiaH 



acting as escort, and for the amusement of his lady 
friends, began lingering the dress and ornaments of 
the chief, while indulging in various liumorons re- 
marks. When he was through, Kish-ke-kosh 
stepped up to him and began the examination of 
his coat, vest, pantaloons and watch-chain, felt his 
hair and exhibited his teeth to his brother chiefs, jal)- 
bering away in the Sac tongue. A large crowd was 
upon the deck of the steamer, and the hearty laugh- 
ter showed that the}' duly appreciated the lesson on 
manners lieing taught the young man by one con- 
sidered a liarbarian. 

In this connection we give a sketch of the In- 
dian Chief for whom the county of Mahaska was 
named : 

M.ahaska, or White Cloud, was an Indian Chief 
of great distinction of the Iowa tribe of Indians, 
lie was the son of .Mau-haw-gaw, or Wounding 
Arrow, who was principal ciiief of tlie I'auiioochee 
or pierced nose band of Indians. Mau-h:iw-ga w 
emigrated from Michillnuicinac to thf west liank of 
the Iowa River near tlie close of the last century, 
and located near its nK)nth, giving it the name of 
Neolionv, oi- Master of Rivers. Shortly after locat- 
ing here he was visited by a delegation of Sioux, 
and while smoking with them the pipe of peace, he 
was suddenl}' killed by the treacherous party. The 
lowas. justly indignant at the conduct of the Sioux, 
resolved immediately on revenge. A war party was 
raised, of which Mah.aska was the legitimate chief, 
but being young, and never having distinguished 
himself in l)attle. he declined taking the command, 
but l)y virtue of his right, he confei-red upon a dis- 
tinguished and tried warrior the anthoritj' to lead 
his warriors against the Siunx, stating at the time 
that he would accompany the expedition as a com- 
mon soldier, and fight until he should acquire ex- 
perience and gain trophies enough to secure him 
the confidence of his people. Accordingly he 
marched with his part}- into the Sioux country, 
where they gained a great victory, ."Mahaska with 
his own hand slaying and securing the scalp of the 
Sioux chief in whose lodge the life of his father 
had been so treacherously t.aken. Having thus 
shown himself a brave, he assumed command of 
tlie warriors of his tribe. 

The war adventures of Mahaska were lunnerous 



and daring. He was in eighteen battles .against 
various bauds and was never defeated. In one of 
his expeditions against the Osages he called upon 
three Frenchmen to assist his party in crossing the 
Missouri River. The Frenchmen, without provo- 
cation, fired upon his party, wounding one of his 
braves. Mahaska and one of his braves returned 
the fire, killing two of the Frenchmen. For this he 
was subsequently arrested by the United States au- 
thorities and thrown into prison. He soon after- 
ward escaped and returned to his tribe, where he 
found four sisters who had lost their natural pro- 
tector, all of whom he married. The youngest of 
the four was Rautchewaime. or the Fem.ale Flying 
Pigeon. 

Shortly after his marriage he |)Ianned an expe- 
dition .against the Sionx, which w.as in a measure 
successful. Returning to his lodge, he ordered the 
scalp dance to be danced, but on account of a pain- 
ful wound in the ankle he could not p.srticipate in 
it himself. Placing the scalps which he had taken 
in the hands of luthehono, or Big Ax. who, being 
the first Ijrave of his liand, was entitled to the dis- 
tinction, he said : "I have now avengeil the death 
of my father. My heart is at rest. I will go to 
war no more. I told Manshuchess, or Red Head 
(meaning (Jen. Clark), when I was last at St. Louis, 
that I would take his peace talk. My word is out. 
I will fight no more." 

In 1824 Mahaska was one of a party on an em- 
l)assy to Washington. Leaving his wives at home 
he proceeded on his journey, but had gone bu>. 
about 100 miles, when he was slapped upoii the 
l)ack, and turning around saw Rautchewaime 
standing before him with an iqjlifted tomahawk in 
her hand. She thus accosted him: "Am 1 your 
wife.' Are you my husband.' If so, I will go 
with you to the iMawhehunneche (the American big 
house), au<l see and shake the hand of Incohonee 
(great father)." Mahaska answered ; "Yes, you are 
my wife. I am your husband. I iiave been a long 
time fiom you. I am glad to see ,you. You are 
my pretty wife, and a brave man always loves to 
see a jirett}' woman." 

Arriving at Washington, an intei'view was had 
with the President and a new treaty made. On his 
return to his country he began in earnest to culti- 



t j i idgiiJ.' 





Ri 









jilt 1^1 x x n »rxx ji.'i i r i T- 
ozxxi xxixxjrxixrxi z.l> 



tSri.r'r'r'Ki 



tSHHr^P?] 



M^ 




STjAJy 






MAHASKA COUNTY. 



501 



li-a 



vate his land, erecting a double log' honsc, in which 
he lived in comfort. This he said was in obedience 
to the advice of his great father. 

Soon after his return, in company with Hautclie- 
wainie and her youngest child, yi)ung Mahaska, he 
set out to explore a tract of land. Both were on 
hor.^eback. K^iutcliewaiine carrying the child. Fear- 
ing enemies, Mahaska rode some distance in front. 
On reaching a certain eminence, he looked back to 
see what distance his wife. and child were from him, 
and was much surprised not to be able to see them. 
Riding back some miles he saw her horse grazing 
near the trail, and presently the bodj- of hi.-* wife 
near the edge of a small precipice, with her cliild 
resting its head upon her body. The horror-stricken 
chief, alighting near the spot, was soon assured of 
her death. Standing over the corpse, he exclaimed 
in his mother tongue: "Wau-cuuda menla-bratus- 
kunee, shimgan-raenia-nanga-nappoo ! " which being 
interpreted means, "(Jod Almighty! I am a bad 
man! You are angry with me. The horse has killed 
111}' squaw." At that moment the child lifted its 
head from the dead body of its mother and said : 
Mother is asleep." The inference was that the 
horse had stumbled and thrown her. 

In 1833 a son of an Iowa chief was killed by a 
party of Omahas, and Mahaska was urged to head 



a part3' to seek revenge. He refused, sajMng: " I 
have buried the tomahawk; I am now a man of 
peace." The party, however, resolved to punish the 
aggressors, notwithstanding Maha.ska's refusal to go 
with it. They returned with six scalps. The mur- 
derers having been reported on both sides to the 
Government, (ien. Clark was directed to cause tiic 
lowas to be arrested. This (lut}' was assigned to 
(ien. Hughes, their agent, who called upon Ma- 
haska and made known the order. Mahaska an- 
swered : •• II is right. I will go with yon." The 
offenders were arrested and moved to Ft. Leaven- 
worth. While confined there, one of the prisoners 
called Mahaska to his cell, and looking him full in 
the face, said: •• If ever I get out of this place 
alive. I will kill 3'ou. A brave man should never 
be deprived of his libert}'. You should have shot 
me at the village." Unfortunately for Mahaska, 
that Indian succeeded in making his escape from 
the prison, and with a party went in pursuit of the 
object of lii.> ifvengc. Mahaska was found en- 
camped on the Nodaway, was attacked and slain. 
This was in 1 H84, Mahaska then being about fifty 
years old. 'I'hus perished a brave man, a true 
friend to the American people, to commemorate the 
memory of whom the county of ^[ahaska is appro- 
priately named. 





WJil, 



PH 






ri 






m 

ii 



llli 

m 

m 



&!: 



^TtTTrtTR^mH^^TFfWn 




jimim-i 



:Q5siar ' 



KTn»li«rTT» 




mSiJiSrd 



r«xrtnrrxTxxEccTixniirrm I 



nxxnxx nixxi rann mrtrtxi 1 



502 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 




Jplfl 

Ml 




•-^»^>- 



lll'.N the white men first vis- 
ilc'd this county is iin- 
,3 known, but it could not 
lie expected that when its 
excellent soil, broad prai- 
I le- 'ind beautiful groves 
»\('ie knuwn, it would long 
ri'iu:un m us vu'gin state.' Before the In- 
dian title was extinguished it had been vis- 
ited by some looking for a choice location, 
and claims were secretlj' marked out. 
The General Government carefully guard- 
ed the rights of the . Indians, and until 
the time fixed upon by the treaty in 
which the Indians ceded all the lands 
owned by them in the Territor}- of Iowa, no man 
was allowed to effect a settlement. .Soldiers were 
stationed all along the border, whose duty it was to 
keep the whites out of the country till the appointed 
time. Notwithstanding their vigilance, however, 
now and then a man would go through the lines 
and quietly select a claim. 

On the night of April 30, 1843, a large number 
of persons were encamped upon the southern line, 
waiting until the clock should strike 12, when they 
would at once go over and take possession of the 
claim already marked, or for the purpose of select- 
ing one. Those yet living of that number report 
some lively traveling and active work in establish- 




»i^=*tf-» 



ing claims by that part}' of hardy pioneers. Few 
disputes occurred, as the greater number had spied 
out the country, and it was pretty genei'ally under- 
stood where they were to locate. 

The first claims were generally made along the 
banks of the Des Moines River, on either side, the 
[irejudiee against locating upon the prairies yet ex- 
isting in the minds of many, though the special rea- 
son was probably from the necessity of having tim- 
ber for theii' houses and for their fences. Among 
those now remembered, bj' those consulted, of the 
number that came in on the morning of May 1, 
184.:i, or very soon after, were Dr. E. A. Boyer. 
William Edmundson, John White, William D. Can- 
fleld, Poultney Loughridge, Edwin Mitchell, John 
^IcAlister, Robert Mitchell, William A. DeLast- 
niutt, A. S. Nichols, William Pilgrim, David 
Stump, Wilson Stanley, Robert Curry, Brittau Ed- 
wards, John W. Cunningham, M. T. Williams, Jo- 
seph Craig, Richard Parker and George W. Jones. 
But these were only a few of the great number that 
came in at this time. Their number was legion, 
and therefore it cannot lie claimed by this man or 
by that one that he was the first settler in Mahaska 
County, or that the first settlement was made upon 
a certain specified tract of land. 

The mild winters of 1843-44 and 1844-45, fa- 
vored the rapid settlement of this section of coun- 




■M-.» 

m 



.3g-c:-£^J^fci 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



50ri 



try, nnd inanv who havp since heconie distinguished 
in the iiistoiy of .Alaliaskn County wore nuinheied 
among those who came in al that lime. Some of 
these have performed their life work, and have 
passed on, beeoniinji iiilial)itants of "a land in 
which there shall he no parting." Others yet re- 



I 



^ ^:?<=^^£X£'^¥W® 





main honored citizens, and though bowed down 
witli the weight of many years, they look back upon 
the scenes of long ago with feelings of just pride. 
Others have moved farther AVest. and become pio- 
neers of another conntr}', while a few may have re- 
turned to the homes of their fathers. 



CiS 



Omgani 



EAT ION, 




•/^i)5^Ci\-vv 




I E\V 

fin less than one ye.ar 
the time the tirst se 



'a : 

r- 
n 

I,' : 
hi : 

i 



counties were settled 
■re quickly than Mahaska. 
In less than one ye.ar from 
iettlers 
came in there was a popula- 
tion suHieient for organization. 
Previous to this time the coun- 
ty was attached to Washington 
for judicial purposes, and its 
first election was held at the 
house of Toultney Loughridge, 
in what is now .Spring Creek 
Township, in October, 1843. 
The ballot-box used on this oc- 
casion was au old box, which 
is preserved, and is in the possession of Dr. S. A. 
IIolTraan. of Oskaloosa, to whom it was donated by 
Mrs. Loughridge. The Doctor keeps it among his 
relics, of which he has a large collection. An elec- 
tion was held at the same time at the house of 
Wilson Stanle3', on Lake Prairie, in what is now 
Marion Countj', it also being attached to Washing- 
ton County. About this time William Ldmundson 
was appointed a Justice of the I'eace by tiov. 
Chambers under an act regulating unorganized 
counties. This was the first office created for or 
held by a citizen of this county. Mr. Edmundson 
appointed William A. Delastnuitt and Joseph Craig 
as his Constables. 

At a session of the General Assembly an act was 



I nsrxi] 






'■"^"^'^y^' "r' 



SSS"' 



^ 



sM^M^ 




passed and approved Feb. 5, 1844, for the organ- 
ization of Davis, Wapello. Keokuk and Mahaska 
Counties. M. T. Williams was appointed Clerk, 
and William Edmundson Sheriff, to organize the 
county of Jlahaska. An election was ordered held 
April 1, 1844, for the election of county- officers. 
There were nine polling places, two of which were 
in what is now Marion County. At the election 
the following named were chosen : John White, 
Probate Judge; William D. Canfield, Treasurer; 
William Edmundson, Sheriff; William A. Delast- 
mutt, Assessor; Brittan Edwards, Coroner; Will- 
iam PilgTim, Recorder; David Stump, Surveyor; 
John W. Cunningham, Commissioner's Clerk; A. 
S. Nichols, Wilson Stanlej' and Robert Curry, 
County Commissioners. It is presumed these men 
were sworn into office a few days after, though 
there is no record to show the fact. The writer, 
together with R. P. Bacon, Chairman of the Board 
of Supervisors in 188G, made a thorough search 
through the various offices in the court-house, and 
could find no records whatever of the acts of the 
County Commissioners covering a period of seven 
years. 

The act of the Legislature authorizing the or- 
ganization of the county api)oiiited Jesse Williams, 
of Johnson County; Ebenczer Perkins, of Wash- 
ington County, and Thomas Henderson, of Keokuk 
County, Commissioners to locate the county seat 
of Mahaska. There were three locations proposed 



Ill'H 



M 









'!5 



- ^T iiixxxxnxrojiDtxxjLKij 



rixyT jTTxmy i'^ '^»rTT''ir»TTF"»^ C 



i rxii xxiix ti - ixiii ni xxi-iJtiXJ-n .. 



rrxinxnuxu mi ^uisiiiiii i 



504 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



la 
I 



^liagU: 



1 



iH 

1: 



Ml 



11 



Hp1 




iHf 




for the county seat: 1, the geographical centei- of 
the county, about two and a half miles north of 
the present city of Oskaloosa; 2, Auburn, located 
upon Des Moines River, at the head of Six-Mile 
Prairie, laid out by George W. Jones; 3, "the 
Narrows," a point on the water-shed between the 
Des Moines and South Skunk Rivers. The Com- 
missioners met at the time specified, visited the 
diiiferent locations, and listened patientlj- to the 
arguments of the friends of each. On the 11th 
day of May, 1 844, the)' made their report, in which 
they stated tliat after having been dul^' qualified, 
and having examined the various locations, "have 
come to the conclusion to locate the county seat of 
said county, and do herebj" locate said countj- seat, 
on the southeast quarter of section 1 .3, in township 
75, of range 16." This location now comprises 
the present business portion of the city of Oska- 
loosa. When it came to naming the proposed 
town, Oskaloosa was suggested on the part of some, 
while others contended for Mahaska, the name of 
the county. While the Commissioners preferred 
the former name, they concluded to leave its se- 
lection to the County Commissioners. When the 
board met it decided upon Oskaloosa as the name 
of the seat of justice, a name it yet l)ears._ 

By order of the Court, David Stump, County 
Surveyor, laid out and platted the original town of 
Oskaloosa, and appointed a day in June for the 
public sale of lots. The settlers on Six-Mile Prairie 
could not be reconciled to the selection of Oska- 
loosa as the count}- seat, and violently opposed 
any improvement of the place. On account of 
this opposition at the time appointed for the sale 
of lots very few people were in attendance, and but 
six lots were disposed of, and those at a great 
sacrifice. Lot No. 2, on the north side of the 
Square, a very choice location, sold for 145, one- 
eighth in hand, and the balance on long time. Lot 
No. 5, block 19, where tlie Downing House now 
stands, sold for *i41. 

At the annual election in August, 1844, the 
countj- seat question was made the issue. Those 
favoring the center of the county and those in 
favor of a point on Six-Mile Prairie, united in the 
nomination of a ticket for county officers. The 
ticket in favor of Oskaloosa was elected by a large 




majority, which forever settled the county seat 
question, the county thus escaping the contests 
which have raged in various other localities for the 
seat of justice of the count}'. 

On the County Commissioner's Court depended 
the setting in order of the entire machiner}' of the 
count}', and the general administration of its af- 
fairs. This was no light work. Roads were to be 
located, bridges built, county houses erected, taxes 
levied, and all was to be done, if possible, without 
burdening any of the people. 

Among the first acts of the Commissioners was 
that of providing a suitable building for the dispen- 
sation of justice and for the various county officers. 
The proceeds from the sale of town lots were by 
law set aside for the building of a court-house and 
jail. After the election in August, 1844, when the 
officers representing Oskaloosa were elected by a 
large majority, those inclined to purchase town 
lots at the seat of justice made haste to secure 
choice locations, consequently in a short time an 
amount sufficient to build was accumulated. Ac- 
cordingly an order was passed in the fall of 1844 
for the erection of a court-house. Sealed propos- 
als were called for, and the contract was let to 
James Edgar for a building 28x50 feet, two stories 
in height. The second floor was to be used for 
offices, while the first floor was for court purposes. 
The building was raised by the settlers who assem- 
bled on a certain da}' for that purpose. After its 
erection, and it being before the day that prohibit- 
ory laws were even thought of, a joU}' good time 
was had in disposing of the wet goods provided 
for the occasion. The building stood on the north- 
west corner of the square, where it remained until 
1875, when it was moved west on High street, and 
was known as the Oskaloosa House, or " Noah's 
Ark,'" and used for hotel purjjoses for several years. 
Some years ago it was partially burned, and as this 
is written, in July, 1886, its ruins still stare out at 
the people as a ghost of the departed. Lentil the 
erection of churches, school-houses and other pub- 
lic buildings, the court-room was used for religious 
services, theaters, concerts, and every variety of 
entertainment. In 1859, having become too small 
and inconvenient for the transaction of public busi- 
ness, it was leased by the county for commercial 



i 



3 W 



i 



j t XXXTIJ.rLl'XTJJJT.Jt lJl ' ' 






SSI 

5c 1 
3?1 



i 






rsFJTrrr 



rrFlTrfT'i^ 



.iggn 


M 








i^TolJ 


JHHHdljri 


SHcir 


U.J. '1 1 ti'^vvS 




Pr'r'' - 


— t^lB'ku 









UKF"-' 












MAHASKA COUNTY. 



505 






B:; 



purposes, H. Tredick <fe Co. being its first lessee. 
Miteliel AVilson subsequently leased it, and in 18(i7 
purchased it of the county for |!3,800. It was liy 
him sold to other parties, who removed it to its 
present location on High street, between Jefferson 
and Marion streets. 

After the erection of the fourt-iiouse, the Com- 
missioners advertised for proposals for the build- 
ing of a jail. It was erected in 1S45, and stood 
upon lot 1, block G. where the present jail is lo- 
cated. The buildiTig was of logs, and was quite a 
rude structure, but answered the purp<,(ses for which 
it was built, for about twelve years. 

Ill .bmuary. 1S4.'). the Commissioners divided 
the (•oiiiitv iulii fourteen townships, including a 
portion of tiie present counties of Monroe and 
Poweshiek. The names given these townships 
were as follows: White Oak, Harrison, .Spring- 
Creek, Monroe, L'nion, Des Moines, Oskaloosa, 
Madison, .Tetferson, Jackson, Cedar, English River, 
Lake ami While lireast. When the counties of 
Monroe and Poweshiek were organized, Mahaska 
w!is divided into fifteen townships, corresponding for 
the most part with the congressional townships, 
.'save in the case of Oskaloosa Township, whicii was 
combined with Spring Creek, forming a single 
township. 

During this year license was granted to John 
Scott to keep a ferry across the Des Moines River 
at the niouthof Raccoon River, near Ft. Des Jloines. 
Scott to pay therefor the sum of §10. This iwint 
was near where the city of Des Moines now stands. 
The rale charged for license in 1 840 for the 
sale of intoxicating liquor, was $50. In that year 
license w.ns granted to several i)arties. 

In 1847 the board passed an order refusing to 
grant other licenses for the sale of intoxicating 
liquors. This order was in conformity to a vote 
of the people, being the (irst record of a local op- 
tion law or sentiment in this count}-. 

^Acts <><■ the County .Iinljre. 

Pi's the winter of 1850-.')1 the (ieneral Assembly 
of the State passed an act abolishing the otiice 
of County Commissioners and transferring its 
iluties to that of the County Judge. Therefore 
llie otllcial life of the board lenuiiiatcd in August, 



1851. John A. L. Crookham was the first County }ij 
Judge to trans.act the duties that had devolved }[| 



upon the County Commissioners in the administra 
tion of county affairs. It was.during his adminis- ,, 

tration and that of his successor. Judge Jamespj 

Rhinehart, that much of the railroad legislation inUi'^lfSi 
the county was transacted. .Several propositiuii~ 
were submitted by them to a vote of the pe()|)le ^,. ^ 
for aid in the construction of railroads. These Jg (}| 
Judges were probably as well able to discharge the [M^ 
duties of the office as any men in the county, and jl,; jl j 
while many were satisfied with the law .and were l|!i;:;|! 
willing it should remain upon the statute books, j l! |; j jl 
the great majority of the people, not only in Ma- llii=ffl 
haska County, but throughout the State, were op- 
posed to the " one man power," .and it was repealed 
by the creation of a Board of County Supervisors, h 

Acts of the Kosird of Supervisors. 11 



M 

mm 



I 
-I 




J! N 1 860 the General Assembly of the State 
||! passed an act creating a Board of .Supervisors, ^ ij 
ii composed of one member from each civil town- "C ''_ 
shiiJ in the county. The first board commenced i^^ 
official Work in January, 18(;i. The most impor- |- 
ant business transacted by the board while it was lis 
composed of a member from e.ach township was in 
relation to the war. Their record in this respect is - 
honorable indeed, it being their aim to do all in ' 
their pc>wer in aid of the soldiers in the field, and 
their families at home. 

In 1.S70 the law was again changed. Instead "f 
one .Supervisor from each civil townshi]j. there 
were but three to be elected from the county 
large. This order is j'et in vogue, and is probablj- 
more satisfactory than any other system. The 
work is carried on smoothly, and few complaints 
are made. The supervision of the Imilding of the 
present handsome court-house is the most impor- 
tant work transacted of late years. 

.\l the November election, 1880, the question 
w.as submitted to a vote on the approi)riation of 
?i75,i)00 for tlie erection of a court-house, all funils 
iin hand derived from the sale of swamp lands, or 
which might afterward be realized, to be applied 
for the purjjose. The vote was 2,536 for, and 2,1 7 1 
against the appropriation. On the 2 1st (hiy of 
.luly, ISbl. a contract was entered into between the 



F^^^ild ^:^^:^^I^J.ggF ,. 



snip, mere ^^ . 
■ county at R H 




a,vU 



506 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



i 









rr 



Board of Supervisors and O. J. King for the erec- 
tion of the building for the sum of $7.'), 000, which 
was increased for extras, $9,481, or a total of $84,- 
481. Mr. King soon afterward commenced work, 
but failing to comply with the provisions of the 
contract, he was removed and the boaj-d itself took 
charge of the work. This was in November, 1883, 
the time given ^Mr. King for the completion of the 
building. R. P. Jiaeon was made the building 
agent, and under his direction the walls were pro- 
tected for the winter, and in the spring of 1884 
work was again resumed. Contracts were let with 
various parties for special work, and for furnishing 
material. It was found that the building could 
not be completed according to the design for the 
sum mentioned, so accordingly a vote was again 
submitted for an additional appropriation of 850,- 
000, Feb. 17, 1885. For some cause a light vote 
was polled, many, it would be supposed, caring- 
nothing whether the proposition was voted up or 
voted down. The proposition was defeated by a 
vote of 1,580 against to 1,394 for the appropriation. 
In May, 1885, another proposition was submitted 



1 



for a direct tax of $50,000, which was carried by a 
vote of 1,928 for and 1,170 against. Under the 
direction of Mr. Bacon work was again resumed, 
and in December, 1885, t^e first term of court was 
held therein. On the 1st day of Januarj', 188t!, 
the counts' officers took possession of the building, 
and for the first time in twentj' -seven j-ears had a 
permanent home. The following named comprise 
the list of incoming officers on that da}': F. E. 
Smith, Clerk of Courts; .John R. Bear, Auditor; M. 
D. Gilchrist, Treasurer; C (4. By ram. Recorder; 
Calvin Woodruff, Sheriff; Manoah Hedge, .Sujserin- 
tendent of Schools; C. W. Tracy, Surveyor; Dr. J. 
C. Barringer, Coroner; A. N. Caldwell, John H. 
Evans and R. P. Bacon, menil)ers of the Board of 
Supervisors. 

The total cost of the building, including fur- 
niture, pavement, plumbing, etc., was $132,500. 
Even a hast}- glance at the building, which is a large 
three-story and basement building, brick, trimmed 
with stone, will convince anyone the job was well 
done, and the Board of Supervisors deserve a vote 
of thanks. 



11 



11 



J 

•'O^ 



^Si 






jj* .„" 










an 














MAHASKA COUNTY. 



507 



1 
1 

I 
I 

rC 



m 

1-: 






nj; 

M 

1l 



b 



IS 



u . 






ni;-: 










i 



VK fox; tlie llai 



i'..!tiWattv.i^.Vi'^;^i'^^i' .'i' ; 1 ■^j's'ji •^•i^^i.'i^; .-■Pi^t.-p^, t,^.'t^ <.'•. 'i^'ig^t^t^^t:^' 





OOP . 



cOo~ 




O question entered more vit:il- 
]y into almost ever3'^ po- 
litical contest from the for- 
ni;itit)n of the Government 
ti 1 1 800 than that of slavery. 
a^ The States of the Union in 
J5^ which slavery existed, con- 
"^* tinuallj feared that their 



rights would he encroached upon, 
and to allay such fears and main- 
tain peace, various compromise 
measures were passed. 'I'liese only 
served for a little while, and were 
never entirely satisfactory to ei- 
ther party interested. That known as 
the Missouri Compromise seemed to 
come nearer a solution of the ilif- 
~ liculty than an^' other, and was the 

most satisfactory' to the Northern States. 'I'lio ac- 
quisition known as Mason's and l^ixon's line, the 
rapid growth of the North, and the formation of 
new States, without slavery, alarmed the Son t hern 
people who feared the loss of jfowcr. Then came 
the repeal of the Missouri Compromise, the adoji- 
tion of the Kansas-Nebraska hill, and the question 
of the introductfbn of slaves into the Territories. 
The Republican party, formed for the purpose of 
preventing any further extension of slavery, was re- 
garded as a menace by the South, and threats of 



m 
m 



n 



m 



secession were made in the event of that party com- 
ing into power. In the political campaign of 1H60. 
the Republicans, with Abraham Lincoln as their 
leader, presented a solid front, while the Democ- 
racy was divided, presenting Stephen A. Douglas 
as a candidate for the Presidency', representing the 
Northern wing of the party, and .John ('. Hreckin- 
ridge. of Kentucky, representing the Southern wing. 
.John Hell, of Tennessee, was also a candidate, re- 
ceiving his nominatio.i from the I'nioii party, com- 
posed principally of those formerly affiliating with 
the American or Know-Nothing part^-. The elec- 
tion of Lincoln was almost a foregone conclusion. 
While it was known that there were many hot- 
headed men in the South willing to plunge the 
c*)untr3- into a civil war. few [lersons realized tlie 
danger, or for a moment believed that the threats 
of the Southern people would lie carried into execu- 
tion. Little was known of the pr('pMrati<His being 
made in the South for the event sure to follow the 
election of Lincoln. When the result of the gen- 
oral election was known, and months before the in- 
auguration of Lincoln as President, .South Caro- 
lina and other .States passed ordinances of secession, 
and preparations were made to resist any force that 
would be sent against them, as well as to obt,-un 
possession of an}- [jroperty lielonging to the General 
(iovernment within the limit* of their States. 
At Charleston, .S. C, two forts were in posses- 



1 



f t ixrtj xjddci 



WrT: 



Kxw%tTxxxmrTKnxxn 



TTTTTT 

iwi a a a fi 



eh: 




's nximair njjnrE rm , -iy jjj j ; 






w 



m 



m 



^ 
4 



Mm 

m 




508 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



sion of the United States authorities — Fts. Moul- 
trie anrl Sumter. The formei- was abandonefl, 
the troops being removed to the latter. The au- 
thorities of South Carolina demanded their surren- 
der, and being refused, erected fortifications upon 
the main land for the purpose of bomliardment. 
No attempt was made to prevent them, and when 
completed, another demand was made, with threats 
of opening fire upon the fort in case of refusal. In 
Vt. Sumter was ^laj. Anderson and a gallant 
band of loyal men. with provisions to last but a short 
time. To the demand t(j surrender a refusal was 

f(.j sent, and on the morning of April 12. IsBl, the 
t}- rebels commenced the attack !)}• opening fii-e upon 
the fort. The fire was I'eturned by the brave com- 
mander of the fort, but upon the 14th he was com- 
pelled to lower his flag and yield to the rebels. 
The first gun fired upon the fort reverberated 
throughout the wiiule length and breadth of the 
land, and was more a call to arms than the procla- 
mation of President Lincoln for 7o,000 men. 

There was no lack uf response to this call amonu 
the Northern States, and no State more enthtisias- 
tically and patriotically resijonded than the State of 
Iowa. .Men and nione}' were offered without re- 
serve. Volunteers came fi'om all avocations in life, 
and offered u|i their lives on the altar of their coun- 
try. Patriotism was dominant in every heart. 
Party lines were ignored and |iolitical conflicts were 
^■Si forgotten, and all formed themselves together for 

t\ the preservation of the Union. The news of the 
_ »^ conflict soon reached tiie citizens of Mahaska 
County. Meetings were held in various places in 
the county and patriotic resolutions passed. In re- 
sponse to the President's and the Governor's call, 
a comjjany was at once raised, but too late to form 
j-jj- part of the 1st llegiment, but it became Co. tl, of 
9 C the 3d Regiment. Three other companies were so^>n 
afterward raised, and in 18t)-2, four com[)anies for 
the gallant ;!3d Regiment. But to every call till 
the close of the war, there was a response made, 
some citizens of Mahaska County stepping to the 
front, saying: " Here, take me." Many of them 
were taken, some of whom were never given back, 
their bones bleaching upon some Southern battle- 
field, or hastily interred in a grave without mark 
to tell wh<j w,as buried there. I 



in caring for the wives and families ot those wiio 



1 

- s;h 

I'll 

A\ hile the brave boys were in the field, the nat- Jil 

Bfi 
riotic citizens of the county vied with one anotlier i;i 

£1 
pl 

had gone to the front. Patriotic women formed ST 
societies, and Ijy the contribution of sanitary sup- Biji 
plies, did much for the loved ones flghtin<>' in de- Sj i 
fense of their conunon C( luntry. Tlie record of these & i 
noble w<jmen is a grand one, and their services were Sit 
duly a])preciated bj' all. 

Two men from ^Mahaska became Generals, and s^} 
strange to say, they were brothers — Gen. S. A. Rice, p} 
commissioned Hrig,adier_General. August. lf<();i,and J;} 

li(jt W. Rice, promoted Brigadier General about 3; 
the same time, and afterward In-eveted Major (ien- |;[ 
eral. ||{ 

The record of Mahaska Cfiunty in tlie war is a p^ 
glorious one. Some who went out were brought ^^ 
back in coffins, others were buried upon the battle- »} 
field, others returned home minus an arm or a leg, ^-^ 

while still others came back without a wound upon Hi} 

I 



their Ipody.yet suffering from disease contracted in jj, 
the --ervice. Some returned as strong in body .as ^} 
when the}- went out, but all who came back have a 3s" 
vivid recollection of the hardships endured, and m^^ 
one and all, whether Christian or infidel, in their W[ 
hearts pra}' that the country may never .again be gij} 
cursed with a fratricidal strife. 

More than a score of years have passed since the ^ 
war terminated, but it is not forgotten, though the 
weeds of mourning ma}- have disappeared. In too 
many homes there still stands the vacant chair: too 
mail}' hearts mourn the loss of father, husband and 
brother, for the memories of that unhappy conflict 
to fade away. Our cemeteries are too full of the 5; 
dead who lost their lives upon the battle-field, or 
died from the effects of wounds or imprisonment, 
ft)r the heart to forget its sorrow, or the memory 
to become oblivious. No I the war is not forgotten. Sj; 
neither are the brave men who sleep in soldiers' "' 
graves. Once eacli year the survivors, with their 31 
friends and the children, meet and strew beautiful ^ 
flowers upon their graves, while lessons of patriot- 
ism are repeated o'er and o'er. Never will these 
brave men be forgotten. Their noble deeds and 
their sacrifices will be remembered in years to come, 
and then, as now, will come the thought, ■' How K 
beautiful it is to die for one's country." S 






^^^sr- ^uifiyj^lX 



iixoLcrurm rm n 
1 1 irti xiTxTrrrxxij rii - 






i- "*'^ -*T =^¥V=^ 



-3iic:x:x--fj 



Lsc ^jz i cr a i^ -t 



JB i 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 




F;^^ 



1 




'I 



""^i'i' 



••"♦o-^^K^-o^O" 




OURT and bar history of 
-Mahaska Coimt\- forms an 
interesting chapter. On its 
urganizatitin the county was 
marte i)art of the Second 
Judicial District of the Ter- 
ritory of Iowa, and its first 
court was held in .luly, 
1844, with Hon. .Joseph Williams, of 
Muscatine, Judge of the Second Dis- 
r^-o- ^^~ trict, presiding. The term was called 
«^^S» ^*^ begin on the i.5th of July, but on 
account of the absence of the Judge, 
it did not begin until the 1 7th, being 
adjourned bj' the Sheriff from day to 
ilay until his arrival. Among the attornej's in at- 
tendance were William Thompson, W. W. Chap- 
man, Christopher Slagle. George Atchison. John W . 
Alley and Henry Temple, the latter being the onlj- 
rejjresentative of the bar in the eount3-. Some of 
these men subsequently became somewhat noted in 
Iowa affairs. 

In an unlini>hed log cabin, owned In" William 
IJ. Cantield. and located within the present limits of 
Oskaloosa, was the first term of court held. The 
building was not even floored. A joist laid across 
one end, and some loose plank thrown upon cross 
pieces, furnished a rostrum for the Judge and Clerk, 
while a plank placed upon two Hour barrels sup- 
plied the place of a ilesk. The Grand Jury met 



and transacted business about three blocks north 
of the Public Square, being secreted in the tall 
prairie grass. 

.ludge Joseph Williams, who presided at this 
term of court, was appointed to the bench about 
1831). He was an eccentric man, though a good 
.ludge. He was a gi-eat favoi-ite of the bar and 
people, and after a hard da}''s work in solving the 
intricacies of the law, he would amuse the crowd by 
playing upon his violin, and singing some of the 
popular songs of the day. On the organization of 
the State he was elected Chief Justice of the Su- 
preme Court. 

On the organization of the State, .Mahaska 
County was made a part of the Third Judicial Dis- 
trict. -\t the April election following, Cyrus 01- 
ney, of Jefferson County, was elected Judge of the 
di.strict. He served until March 15, 18.51, when he 
resigned, and was succeeded by Joseph C. Knapp, 
of Van Buren Count}'. William H. Seevers, of 
Mahaska County, was elected April .5, 1852. After 
serving nearly four years Judge Seevers resigned, 
and was succeeded by Caleb Baldwin, of Jefferson 
County, who served until 1856, when Henry B. 
Hendershott, of Wapello County, was elected. 

In December. l.H5(>, Mahaska County was de- 
tached from the Third District, and made part of 
the Eleventh. William M. Stone, of Marion 
Co.. was the first and only Judge of the district. 

Under the Constitution of 1857 Mahaska County 



ri 



IJ U 

1j 



wm 

I :: 

M 

^^ 

■1 '". 
'If'- 

1. '^.; 
■ill: 



■Tr«)fl«»trv> 






I 




tiili,,, 5111 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



m 



lli 



!i;^ 



was placed in the Sixth Judicial District, with Jas- 
per, Jefferson. Keokuk, Marion, Poweshiek and 
Washington Counties. Judge Stone, who was then 
living in Marion Countj-, was elected as Judge, 
Oct. 12, 18,58, and served until 1861, when he en- 
tered the Government service as Captain of Co. H. 
ad Iowa ^'ol. Inf. He was succeeded Iw William 
Loughridge, of Mahaska County, who was first ap- 
pointed b.y the Governor, elected in October, 18(il, 
for the unexpired terra, and re-elected in October, 
1862, for the full term. He was succeeded by Eze- 
L' kiel S. Sampson, of Keokuk Count}', who served two 
terms. H. S. Winslow, of Jasper Couiity, was then 
elected, and served until succeeded by J. C. Cook, 
^] of Jasper County, who was elected Oct. 8, l.s7>s. 
In October, 1882, J. Kell^- Johuson, of Mahaska 
Count}', was elected. 

Under the Constitution of 1857, the offlce of Dis- 
trict Attorne}' was created. Those holding that 
office have been as follows: George D. Woodin, 
of Keokuk County, elected Oct. 12, 1858; Horace 
S. Winslow, of Jasper County, elected Oct. 14, 
1862; Moses A. McCoid, of Jefferson County, 
elected Oct. 9, 1866; S. G. Smith, of Jasper 
County, elected Oct. 11, 1870; George W. Laf- 
fert}-, of Mahaska County, elected Oct. 13, 1874; 
Edward W. Stone, of Washington Count}-, elected 
Oct. 8, 1878; John A. Donnell, of Keokuk County, 
elected Nov. 7, 1882. 

In 1808 an act was passed creating Circuit 
Courts throughout the State, each Judicial District 
to compose two circuits, with a Circuit Judge fcjr 
each district. This court continued luitil Jan. 1, 
1887. 

An act was passed and approved April 10, 1880, 
abolishing Circuit Courts and re-organizing the Ju- 
dicial Districts, and three Judges were to be 
elected in each district. Mahaska County was 
made a i)art of the Sixth District. At the general 
election in November, 1886, J. Kelly Johnson, of 
Mahaska, David Ryan, of Jasper, and W. R. 
Lewis, of Poweshiek, were elected District Judges. 

On Saturdaj', Feb. 27, 1886, the new Mahaska 
County court-house was dedicated with imposing 
services, to its appropriate uses, and the keys de- 
livered to the representatives of the people. 

The bar of Mahaska County has at all times been 



composed of men of acknowledged abilitj', and, as 
n whole, will rank with any county in the State. In 
the limits of this work justice cannot be done all 
who have practiced l)efore the courts of the county, 
and therefore only a lirief mention is made. 

Ilenr}- Temple was probably the first attornej' to 
k)cate in tiie county. He was not a brilliant man, 
and did liut little business. For some years he was 
a Justice of the Peace. He moved to Cass County 
and was there elected County Judge. 

Harvey J. Skiff was from New England. He 
moved here with his family at an earl}' day, re- 
sided a few years, and then went to Newton. He 
was a close student, and b)' successful ventures in 
trade accumulated some money while here. 

A. M. Cassiday was reared in Poweshiek Counly. 
He was a good attorney and had a fine practice 
while here. He was prosecuting attorney at one 
time, and also a member of the Legislature. He 
now resides in Colorado, where he has an extensive 
practice. 

Allen Greer came about 1851. He was a good 
judge of law, but made no success as an attorney 
while here. 

John D. Pollock was a man of promise, but died 
early. 

Thomas ilacon was one of the leading attorneys 
and lived here some years. He moved to Canon 
City, Col., but now resides in Denver, the same 
State, where he is the leading criminal lawyer. 

Z. T. Fishej' was from Ohio. He was a good 
lawyer and had a good practice. He is now living 
in Red Oak. Iowa, and is one of the leading attor- 
neys in that section of the State. 

Thomas L. Dilley was here a short time, and then 
moved to Indianaola, and hi:- whereabouts are un- 
known. 

Piiilij) Myers was here a few years. He was an 
industrious law\er; at present he resides in Chi- 
cago. 

(J. W. and U. F. Yocum were both good lawyers. 
They moved to Albia many years ago, and from 
there went West. 

H. O. Lyster was admitted to the bar in Oska- 
loosa, but practiced little or none in the county. 
He went to Kansas many years ago. 

Silas Sawyer was an attorney who gave little 



^^^» 







r-irirrr"r1 







MAHASKA COUNTY. 



oil 



time to the law. He was County Surve^'or for 
some years. He moved to Dubuque years ago. 

.k-ff Dugger was oue of the earliest attorneys; 
he remained but about two years, and returned to 
Illinois. 

.1. M. Perrj- came about 1853, remained about 
two j-ears, and then moved to the western part of 
the State. He was Avell read in law, had a reten- 
tive memory- and much native talent. 

Israel Curtiss, a brother-in-law of Judge Ilolmau, 
of Indiana, came about 1847, and settled upon a 
farm in Black Oak Townshi[). He had formerly 
been a preacher, was an excellent talker, and had 
a fair practice while here. He moved to California. 

There have been man3- others, some of whom at- 
tained considerable notoriety in law and politics. 
Among them were M. T. Williams, M. E. Cutts, 
ex-Oov. Eastman, and W. II. Needhani. Sketches 
of some of these will be found in this volume. 

In March, 1848, when William T. Smith came to 



Oskaloosa, there was not a law book in town, save 
a few owned bj' E. W. Eastman, who was subse- 
quently elected Lieutenant Governor of the State. 
The bar of Mahaska to-day is composed of ex- 
cellent men, some of whom deservedly- rank high 
in the profession throughout the State. The fol- 
lowing is a list, as shown upon the bar docket in 
the fall of 1861 : J. B. Bolton, Ben McCoy, L. C. 
Blanchard, J. A. L. Crookham, J. G. Crookham. 
James Carroll, Danfel Davis, F. M. Davenport, D. 
F. Downing, 0. N. Downs, John A. Hoffman, Robert 
Kissick, W . S. Kenworthy, J. C. Kenworthy, Will- 
iam Loughridge, J.^F. Lacey, W. R. Lacey, G. W. 
Lafferty, George C. Morgan, J. O. Malcolm, Liston 
McMillan, W. R. Nelson, O. C. G. Phillips, W. A. 
Greer, D. M. Perdue, J. A. Rice, F. D. Reid, C. P. 
.Searle, L. A. Scott, B. V. Seevers, W. J. Sexton, 
J. C. Tucker, D. C. Waggoner, J. L. Warren, 
James E. Seevers, H. L. Thatcher, J. C. Williams, 
B. W. Preston, G. B. McFall, W. G. Jones. 



11 






4^,: 




m 




iiagaj^mj 




EfflSr ~-M^^ "-'-^ <^^ "-'-^ "'^ "-^ J w?r<^ 




512 



PSi, 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



I 






HERE is no better index uf 
^]a the standing of a commun- 
ity than in the attention 
given to educational matters. 
However strong the unbe- 
liever, there is not one but 
would prefer to settle in a com- 
munity where school-houses 
and chui'ches abound, than in 
one where they are unknown. 
In respect to its educational 
standing, Mahaska County will not 
suffer by comparison with any 
other county in the State. The 
first school opened in the county 
was on the Itith day of September, 1844, in what is 
now Sjuing Creek Township, by Miss Semira A. 
Hobbs, now tiie wife of T. G. Phillips, of Oska- 
loosa. The scixjol was held in a log cabin erected 
for the purpose, and was located ujion section 16. 
It was about sixteen feet square, constructed of 
round linn timber, with puncheon floor. For her 
services as teacher, Miss Holtbs received $1.2o per 
scholar for a term of three iminths. 

Among those in attendance at this school were 
the following named: Emily, John, James, Joseph, 
Thomas and ;\Iary Loughridge; Nathan Stafford, 
Abigail Shaw: Abijah, Amanda' and Abigail 
Kooms; James Thompson and brother; Emily 



jNIitchell; Joseph, Elizabeth and Ella Cunningham; 
Eliza Ann, Elizabeth, AVilliam, James, Deborah 
and Mar3' Ellen Cox. and Sarah Coffin. Of the 
Loughridge children, Emily grew to womanhood, 
married James Correll, and moved with him to 
Montana Territorj' ; she is now a widow, and was 
residing in Montana in July, 188(i. John married 
P^mily Bean, and now resides in Appanoose County, 
Iowa; James resides on a farm in Spring Creek 
Township, and is unmarried ; Joseph now resides 
in Montana; Thomas m.arried Martha Roe, and now 
resides in Montana; Marj' married Philip Shaver, 
and lives in Poweshiek County. Nathan Stafford 
is now in Kansas. Abigail Shaw grew to woman- 
hood, married, and is miw dead. The Kooms fam- 
ily moved awa^- and were lost sight of. The same 
is said of the Thompsons. Emil3' Mitchell mar- 
ried James Walker, and now resides in Loup 
County, Neb. Of the Cunningham children, Jo- 
seph grew to manhood and died some years ago, 
unmarried; Elizabeth married Mr. Barnes and is 
now somewhere in Illinois; Ella married Dr. Smith, 
and is now living at Granville, Mahaska County. 
Of the Cox children. Eliza Ann married Mr. Staf- 
ford, moved to Kansas, and there died ; Elizabeth 
married Mr. Knight and now lives in Kansas; Will- 
lam married Martha Jarvis, and also resides in 
Kansas; James married Mary Hibbs, and now lives 
in the latter-named State ; Deborah married Seth 
HoUingsworth, and moved to Eureka Springs, Ark. ; 



I 




i.im-r.^ 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



If 



Its 

\ 
\ 
1 . 

I 

I 
i 
1 



IE 

I 

9 

I: 
I 
I 



Mary Ellen died when a child. Sarah Coffin mar- 
ried Hampton Cruzen, and now resides in INIadison 
Township. The old sciiool-honsc remained aliout 
tliree 3'ears, when it was torn down and tlie 1<i<j's 
used for other pui'poses. 

Tiie see<md school of wliieli anythinj;' is now re-' 
menibered. was held in Oskaloosa. in the winter of 
1H44-4."), in the east room of A. G. Phillips' dwell- 
inu:-honse, at that timea fariii-honse, sitnated partly 
on lots No. 2 and ;! in block No. 3, Iloutz's addi- 
tion. The school-room was on lot 2 ancl on the 
alley runnino; east and west throngh the block. 
Samuel \V. Caldwell was the teacher in this house. 
.Mr. Caldwel' went to Oregon in. 184.5, and gained 
.some notoriety there in the publication of a spell- 
ing-book. 

In the summer of l.s4o Miss Hobbs taught the 
school in Spring Creek Township, and in the fall 
taught a term in Oskah)osa. A man named John- 
son taught the summer term of the school in Oska- 
loosa in 184;) in a frame building on the south side 
of the square. In the winter of 1845-4(! a man 
named Bonham taught a term in Oskaloosa. 

Schools in various parts of the county were 
al)out this time established, an account of which 
will he found in the township histories. The be- 
ginning being made, there has subsequently' been a 
forward movement all along the line. The old log 
school-houses were soon i-epiaced by more preten- 
tions as well ,as mf»re modern structures, there 
seeming at times to be a generous rivalry between 
the various school districts. The grade of teachers 
has been constantly' advanced, tiie best almost al- 
wa^'S being in demand. 

The first Teachers' Institute w.as held in Decem- 
ber, 1856, when a teachers' association wasfoi'ined. 
At this time the otiice of County Superintendent had 
not been created. The meeting was held in the 
Normal School building, with Henr}' Thorndike as 
President, and Charles Hall as Secretary. 

The Iowa .State Teachers" Association w.-is in 
session at Oskaloosa, Aug. 22-2o, 1865, and was a 
profitable occasion to all who were present. The 
lecturers were (). Favllle, .State .Sujierintendent; 
Prof. W. F. Phelps, of .Minnesota; Prof. \V. O. 
llieke}', of Davenport, and Hon. Newton Hatenian. 
of Illinois. 




At the present writing, in the fall of 1886, Prof. 
M. Hedge is the efficient County' Superintendent, 
and is devoting his entii'c time to the woik of build- 
ing up the schools of the county, [jlacing them in 
the lead among all the counties of the State. Be- 
ing a practical educator, and with a l<;ve for his 
ciio.sen profession, he takes hold of the work with 
a zeal born of knowledge. 

According to the report of the Ct)unty Sujjcrin- 
tendent, in the fall of 188G, there were seven graded 
schools in the county, including the one in Eddy- 
villc, which is supported in part from this county. 
The others are Oskaloosa," Beacon, New .Sharon, 
Granville, Fremont and Indianapolis. There were 
eighty-one male and 251 fem.ale teachers employed. 
The highest salary paid male teachers was §103 
per month; average *35.44; highest paid female 
teachers ?5 1 , average ^2it.23. There were 4,7 1 8 males 
and 4,610 females between the ages of five and 
twentj'-one, and there were enrolled of this num- 
ber in the public schools, 7,868. The school-houses 
were all of frame and brick, there being 1 39 of the 
former and 1 5 of the latter, the total value of which 
were %21 6.250. 

Other Ediioatiuual liistitutlons. 

'^Ml S already intimated, the citizens of this 
(@yLil . county were ever alive to that which would 

I at adv.ance their edncation.al interests, being 
W re<ad3' and willing at all times to contribute 

their means for the establishment of schools of the 
higher grade. 

The General Assembly of the State having passed 
an act for the establishment of Normal Schools, 
earlj- in 1852 monev was raised for the erection of 
a suitable building in Oskaloosa for th.it purpose. 
A two-story frame building was erected at a cost 
of about §3.000. George W. Drake and lady were 
engaged to conduct the school, and on the com- 
pletion of the building began their labors. The 
State had provided an appropriation of ¥.")(iii per 
year to all Normal .Schools, but, for some cause, it 
is said the Oskaloosa Normal never received any 
aid from that iiuarler. probably for the re.iSon thai 



■Itf" 



i 

nj -I. 

i 



:b 



i 



m 



H 

m 

m 



'h- [if 



m 






514 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



some of the provisions of tlie act were never com- 
plied with. In 1 8.56 the building passed into the 
hands of Mr. Drake, who leased it to W. L. John- 
son, who continued the school for one year, when 
the building was purchased bj' School District No. 
1, of Oskaloosa, and n public school continued 
therein. 

In 18.52-53, the Baptists of the State commenced 
l^raii the agitation of the question of the founding of a 
|;;;P University at some convenient point. Oskaloosa had 
p;:| some strong friends among those connected with 
pr p, that religious bod}-, and an effort was made to se- 
cure its location at that point. Several meetings 



f^ were held here, and tiie question was very generall}' 
S-, discussed, the citizens of the town and county, 
without regard to religious views, offering to con- 
tribute liberal)}'. The majoritj' of the active work- 
ers among the Baptists, however, favored Pella, 
and that place secured the prize. 




5 I 



Oskaloossa College. 

ARLY in the historj- of Iowa, leading men 
of the Christian Church, recognizing the 
great indebtedness of civilization to the in- 
stitutions of learning founded and fostered by 
Christianity, and deeply imbued with the spirit of 
the age, determined to establish a school of learn- 
ing of a high order somewhere within the limits of 
the State. The initiatory steps were taken to the 
accomplishment of this end in a general meeting- 
held at Mt. Pleasant in June, 1855. 

Several localities competed for the honors and 
advantages of the institution. But the proffered 

subscription of over $30,000 from Oskaloosa, a 

pi I; large sum for that early period, being in excess of 

?_.^^the bids from Marion, Mt. Pleasant, Winterset, and 

i^^'ifiother competing points, decided the location in 

pvl]^ favor of Oskaloosa. This decision was made in 

7 v-Js"^- October. 1850, at wliich time a Board of Trustees 

jli j^T was chosen, composed of the following, several ot 

Ki^^gwhom are well known throughout the State: Elder 

f,{ Aaron Chattertou, Richard Parker, Dr. C. (!. 
i|;Owen, J. Adkins, Williatn T. Smith, J. II. Bacon, 
WS&4dA. S. Nichols, MatLew Kdmonson, C. Hall, .1. .M. 



Berry, J. Swallow, L. H. Banh.am, W. A. Saunders 

and S. H. McClure. 

The work of raising an endowment was at once 
begun, and so vigorously prosecuted that within a 
few weeks pledges to tlie amount of >!20,000 were 
secured. Then came on the well-remembered 
'•hard times" of 1857-58, and also the inevitable 
failures to collect the subscriptions of the building 
and endowment funds. Contractors broktf, mort- 
gages and liens were pressed toward foreclosure, 
and for a time it looked as if all the work so 
auspiciousi}' begun and so effectually prosecuted 
would be swept away on the great wave of com- 
mercial disaster. After the failure of the con- 
tractor, the Treasurer of the college, Richard 
Parker, continued the work upon the buihling, un- 
der much embarrassment from want of means. Not 
all the subscription to the building fund was ever 
realized, and its ileficiency was finally made up by 
funds from other sources. 

It was not until five years after the selection of 
Oslvaloosa as the site of the institution that the un- 
finished building was in a sufiicientlj- advanced 
state to ]iermit the opening of a school. This was 
conducted by G. T. and W. J. Carpenter, recent 
graduates from Abingdon and Eureka Colleges, 
Illinois. The attendance at the beginning of the 
school was but five, and during the entire year did 
not aggregate fifty. 

The history of the college, from the opening of 
the school in 1861, may be divided into two 
periods, the first covering a lapse of twenty years 
to the summer of l«81.and the second fif)m that 
date to the present. 

During the first period G. T. Carpenter, B. W. 
Johnson, and F. M. Bruner successivelj' discharged 
the duties of President. A. F. Ross and S. P. 
Lucy were for brief periods Presidents pro tern. 
G. T. Carpenter was President during the last four 
years as well as at the beginning of this period. 

During the greater part of this time a successful 
school was maintained, and large subscriptions 
were raised througii the State to pay indebtedness 
and for endowment, the latter exceeding $40,000. 
Some of the endowment fund was diverted to other 
purposes, a part was loaned on insutlicient securities 
and lost, and a large part proved to be worthless, 






i 

s-:i 

^ 

S--U 

31": I 
SEl 

'S 

35 

%i 






':31 






m 

ilk 



^ 

i 



I 



( 5_1_1 _l_ILi 



HJ^J" l~I~i 




; :.<in(i the close of the session, in .lune, 1881, found 
: the college and gronnds heavily mortgaged, the 

j; faculty "starved out," and the in-ititiition nppnr- 
gently financially- wrecked. Thus, with an iiidi'l«t- 
Hedncss aggregating more than ^.H,000, with ;in 

t| 5 endowment practically squaudcn-d. ;nid with a 
E departing faculty, the toils of years were aliout tf> 

(TJ^She swept away, and the very existence of the col- 

ti'I: lege imperiled. 

ij;; At this juncture a new Ijo.-iid of Trustees was 

1^.^: elected, with R. H. Johnson. President; Hardin 

;^i;;Tice, Treasurer, and Porter Hedge, Secretary. The 

Scity and county were energetically canvassed, and 

gasum sufficient to liquidate the entire iiidelited- 

:|ness, together with a "teacher's fund," in the ag- 

lijc gregate amounting Id 5! 1 1,000, was promptly raised. 
?S A new f.acultj' was organized, with G. H. Laughlin 
; as President, and the college was opened in the fall, 
I for tlie first time in its iiistory free from ilel>t, and 
:: with the provision in the charter that neither 
i: building nor grounds should ever again be encum- 
5 bered bj' mortgage. In .lune, liSJSS, President G. 
J H. Laughlin resigned to assume the charge of 

M 

; Hiram College, Ohio, and H. II. Johnson was called 
ic to the presidency, which position he still retains. 

.Since the re-organization of 1881, the old debt 

?: has not only been liquidateil, but an endowment 

Jit fund of more than $29,000 has been raised, a part 

of which is now productive. .Much credit for these 

results is due to the personal efforts of Hon. Hardin 

|S Tice. Treasurer, and to the energ}- and zeal of Prof. 

\\i.]. A. Beattie, who spent man}- months in the field 

.1- fin.ancial agent, as well as to the spontaneous 

Kj., generosity of the people of city and county, and 

of the Christian brotherhood througlKjut the .State: 



u 

lbs 



!j|to all of whom gratitude is due, and thanks are 
\^ rendered. 



A reference to the catalogue shows, that fin' the 
{pjye.ar ending in Jinie. I.S.S4, the attendance of stn- 
}f; dents was 1.58; the year following, lUG; and the 
54 ''ist year, 232; which may be regarded as a hopeful 
1 j\ indication of the growth of the college in popularity 
ip and usefulness. 

}s| The library lias within tiie hist few years, lieen 
ji:! enriciied by the addition of hundreds of carefully 
}sB selected volumes. A generous lady, Mrs. Minerva 
IS Crites. of Columbus Citv, lias tiiken stei)s to found 
W : 



"SMT' 



a new library, to be established and supported by 
present and annual gifts, and to be finally enriched 
liy a generous bequest. 

I'he museum h;is also been the reci|>ient of many 
valuable gifts, and is much indebted to its curator. 
Prof. M. K. Wood, who spent a recent summer 
on the sea coast in tlie study and collection of speci- 
mens of nunine lift'. Already both library .■uid 
museum rooms are too small, .anil these valuable 
adjuncts will soon be given quarters adeiiuale to 
|)Vesent and future demands. 

The Executive Hoard of the college is. at present : 
C. P. Evans, President; A. M. Haggard, .Secretary, 
.inil .1. A. Beattie, Treasurer. W. M. Semones, a 
former graduate, is acting as financial agent, and 
looking after the interests of the college in the field. 

It is justlj' a matter of pride to tiie friends of tin- 
institution to note the positions of honor and re- 
sponsibility that are now being filled by its gradu- 
ates. While many institutions present a much 
larger list of alunuii, few, if any, can show a larger 
percentage who are making the best use of an edu- 
cation, or who are reaping a larger harvest of its 
honors. 

Consciou.- of the fact that the great niajoiity of 
successful men and women in the educated world 
have prosecuted their studies despite the disadvan- 
tages of very limited means, the authorities of this 
institution have offered every encouragement to 
such, by placing tuition at a very low rate, institut- 
ing a sj'stem of boarding that furnishes meals at 
actual cost, and commending strict economy, helping 
as far as possible, industrious students of deficient 
funds to the waj's and means of securing an educa- 
tion. The college has been fortunate in the char- 
acter of its students, they being representatives 
from the best homes of ixir intelligent, industrious, 
and moral commonwealth. To this fact is largel}- 
due the excellent discipline tluit has prevailed. To 
this, it nuay be added, that trivial restrictions, 
irritating exactions and degrading espionage are en- 
tirely discaixled. Students are taught self-respect 
and self-discipline, and being treated as ladies and 
gentlemen, they seldom lietray the trust. It is the 
ambition of a faculty, earnestly devoted to the pro- 
fession of teaching, to stimulate the student lo 
thorough work, preferring the more narrow ami 









1 



Ml 

h, mi 






^ 







ICiiJ-LLkxrn 



COUNTY. 



Ipl 



<V Jr^HAl IS now r 

|Jf an effort n.a. 

\^ Creek Unio 



mm 



^ profouncler onltnre to the broader and snperficial. 
3 A careful examinatinn of the course!* of study, 
3| a,« found in the catalogue, will convince the reader 
that they are sufflciently elective to allow much 
room for choice to the student, and yet so restrict- 
ive as to leave much to the direction of experience; 
that they are sutHcieutly inactical to meet the de- 
mands of tlie times; that they do not cover every- 
thing, and yet are sutHciently broad that no one can 
properly be entitled to a degree without laying a 
j], broad foundation for an intellectual life. 

Peiiii C'olleg'c. 

HAT is now Peini College had its origin in 
ade, in 18(3(), bj- " The .Spring | 
ion College Association of 
Friends," and Iowa Yearly Meeting, to unite their 
resources in the establishment and maintenance of 
an institution of higher learning. Certain funds 
placed in the hands of the Iowa Yearly Meeting for 
educational purposes, by (iideon Mott, were turned 
over to the S^jring Creek Union College Associa- 
tion, on the acceptance by the association of two 
conditions, viz. : 

1. That the Yearly .Meeting shoiihl have the ap- 
pointment of one-third of the Board of Managei's, 
\vitlu)ut liability of indebtedness. 

2. That the articles of incor|)oration should be 
so changed as to satisfy the Iowa Yearly Meeting. 

The articles of incorjioratiou were changed ac- 
cordingly, and the new organization went into ef- 
fect under the name of " The Icjwa I'nion College 
Association of Friends." The association, under 
this name, secured grounds in the uoi'thern suburbs 
of Oskaloosa, and began the foundation of an in- 
stitution. The building of the west wing only was 
at first attempted. Many dilticnlties were exper- 
ienced as the work progressed, from lack of means 
and other causes. Sonie members of the Hoard of 
Managers, deeph' interested in the enter|irise. as- 
sisted personally in the manual labor. When the 
walls of the wing were lirst erected a storm demol- 
ished them, and the work was thus retarded. But 
this discouraging event only increased the devo- 
tion of the friends of the enterprise. The walls 
were soon up again, and the building completed. 



In the winter of l>^72-7.3, school was first openeil 
in the new liuilding. though at first the woi-k done 
was not of a college grade. In September, ImTM. 
the name of the incorporation was changed to 
'• Peun College," and the institution opened on a 
college basis, with college courses and a regular 
college faculty. The number of students was large 
from the lirst. though in the earlier years they were 
mostly <jf a i)reparatory grade. The institution 
won a re|)utation at once for thorough, first-class 
work — a reputation tvhich it has maintained and in- 
creased from the ver^' beginning. The first student 
was graduated in 1 S7.5. In this year also the main 
part of the l)uilding was erected, to meet the grow- 
ing demands for increased room and facilities for 
work. The first President of the institution was 
John \V. Woodv. A. M.. who held the office four 
years, until l<s77. Much of the early success and 
growth of the work was due to his energy and ex- 
ecutive ability. The Presidency was held by Will- 
iam B. Morgan, A. M., C. E.. for the next two 
years. In 1879 the present incumbent, Benjamin 
Trueblood, A. M,, was elected to the Presidency, 
which he has continuou.-ily held till the present 
time, 1887. Since 1875 more than Hftj' students 
have received degrees from the college. The number 
pursuing college courses was at first small, but has 
steadily increased, until now there are about seventy 
iu these courses each year. The library has in- 
creased to more than 2,000 volumes. The labora- 
tory and chemical apparatus now furnish facilities 
f(.>r chemical investigations perhaps equal to those 
of any college in the State. The cabinets of nat- 
ui-al history, geology and mineralogy, afford rare 
opportunities for study in all these departments, and 
have already grown uncomfortable in their present 
quarters. All the departments have been from the 
first presided over by men of recognized abilitj'. 
The trustees have spared no pains to make the col- 
lege in fact what it is in name, an institution of 
higher learning. The moral and religious tone of 
the institution lias alw.ays been especially marked, 
and it is nniversall}- considered a safe and healthful 
place for young men and women seeking an educa- 
tion. The citizens of Oskaloosa have fiom the fir.-t 
taken an active interest in its development and 
growth, and have aided it liberally. 






ai; 




X m rxx T rU rni c 









SHK printing press is :i great 
factor in tlie civilization of 
llie uineteentii century. If 
Arcliimedes liad liad a print- 
ing press upon which to place 
r^Syiif his lever, he would have 
come nearer moving the 
world than if he had secured what 
lie most wished — a base outside of 
it from which to operate. There 
is not a hamlet in the United States 
in which the newspaper does not 
enter, aud scarcely a neighbor- 
hood. With the modern tele- 
graphic communications, they are 
blc to place before their readers 
the occurrences from almost every 
part of the world within a few hours after tai\ing 
place. As a disseminator of news, the press is in- 
dispensable; as an educator, its influence is im- 
measurable. Mahaska County- has been notably a 
county of newspapers, and the press of to-day is 
among the largest and ablest in the State, and Iowa 
has more newspapers, in proportion to its inhabit- 
ants, than any other State in the Union. 

At the present time there are several regular 
pu'blications in this county. Since the first time 
the paper came from ihe press, the newspaper en- 



terprises have l)een numerous, and the numlier of 
editors counted by the score. Among the gentle- 
men who drove the quill for these publications were 
some talented, graphic and cultured writers, some 
of whom wielded a .salutary influence in the county, 
while others won unenviable reputations. The edi- 
torial staff of the various papers at present repre- 
sents pleasant, forcible and pointed writers, vvho 
advocate their various theories, principles and po- 
litical views, with much al)ilitv and success. 



I 
I 



'rii«' Oskulousa Herald. 

OjNDEKtlie name of the Iowa Herald^ the 
I first numl)er of this jmijer made its appear- 
^ ance July 1, 1850. It was a six-column 

folio, Whig in politics, anil wase<lited and published 
liy J. R. Neediiam and 11. Mc>i'ccley. Its typographi- 
cal appearance was hardly up to the standard of the 
paper of to-day. The sallitatory of its editors was 
quite lengthy, containing the usual promises of 
what the paper should be. In November, IHoO, new 
type was purchased, and the name changed to the 
Oskaloosa Herald. Tiie [jajjer seemed to meet the 
fate usually attending the establishment of a paper 
in a new and sparsely settled country. Appeals were 



i: 



m 



ri 



Jirci-^Ti 



5*. 




rxrjrcrrrrr* 




18;' 



518 



M 



MAHASKA COUNTY 






=::=tii 6 ;^: 



made from time to time to it? patrons to pa}' up. 
In its issue for Feb. 21, I Sal, the following notice 
was placed at the head of its editorial eohunns: 

"Flour, pork, beef and wo(_k1 wanted at this 
office. Now is the time to show your humanity — 
the printers" children are crying for bread and meat. 
Come, lend a shoulder, and help us out of this 
difflcultj'." 

j\[r. Needham continued as editor until .luly, 
18.52. when, having received the nomination for 
State Senator, he withdrew from editorial control 
until after the election, when he resumed work. The 
first number of the third volume appeared in an 
enlarge<l form and presented a better typographical 
ai^pearance. The trouble of collecting amounts due 
the printer worried the publishers very much, and 
the appeals for aid were still continued. In No- 
vember, 1)S52, Mr. McNeeley sold his interest tn .1. 
W. Murphy, and under the firm name of Needham 
& Muri)li3', the pul)licati()n of the paper was con- 
tinued. More attention was now given to local 
matters, though political affairs vvere given tlie most 
priunineuce. In the spring of 18.5.5 Mr. Murphy 
sold his interest to James II. Knox, who only re- 
mained till October following, when Mr. Needham 
continued alone for a short time, and then .-ulmitted 
James M. Brown to partnership. 

In March, 1857, Mr. Needham, on account of 
ill-health, withdrew from active management, Mr. 
Brown then being alone the responsible editor. 
Mr. Brown was a young man of strong prejudice 
and self-willed, fearless of consequences in the ad- 
vocacy of that whick he regarded as right. At 
that time the new prohibitory law was being given 
a trial, and the Herald became its strong advocate, 
speaking in no very mild language of those living 
in violation of its provisions. In taking such a 
course he incurred tli^ enmity of those opposed to 
prohibition, especially those who were violating the 
law day by day. Among those who were incensed 
at his course was J. W. Bo wen, a saloon-keeper. 
On the evening of the annual election, Aug. 3, 
1857, Mr. Bowen, while under the intluence of 
liquor, in company with a few companions, started 
to " clean out Brown and the Herald office." Brown 
at the time was in the law-olHce of E. W. Rice. 
On hearing them come up the stairs, and an attempt 




made to open the door. Brown fired a pistol, the 
liall passing through the dtjor and into the body of 
Bowen, who died in a few minutes after. The next 
daj- Brown was arrested, tried, and bound over to 
the District Court, bond being placed at 15,000. 
The (^rand Jury, on the assembling of the court, 
after hearing the evidence refused to flud a bill of 
indictment, and Brown was discharged. 

By request of Mr. Brown, at the time of the kill- 
ing of Bowen, Mr. Needham again assumed editor- 
ial control, with the intention of remaining only 
until the excitement should die aw.ay. When the 
(irand Jury failed to indict, those opposed to 
Brown held a public meeting, condemning the ac- 
tion of the jury, and warning Brown to leave the 
countj'. By the advice of friends, on the 1st day 
of January, 1858, he sold out to Dr. Charles 
Beardslej', the rtrm becoming Needham & Beards- 
ley, the former assuming editorial control of the 
pajjcr, while the latter looked after its business in- 
terests. 

At the outbreak of the war a dailj' was issued 
for several weeks. There was no railroad or tele- 
graph station nearer than Eddyvillc, where a 
courier was sent to await the arrival Of the train 
with the Burlington Hawkcye. Securing a copj', 
the courier mounted his horse and rode like Jehu 
to the Herald office, where the principal news was 
at once put in type, the paper printed, and ready 
for distribution by the time the lumbering stage- 
coach arrived. It is said that four times during 
the war every emploj'c of the office enlisted, leav- 
ing the proprietors to flud new recruits that the}' 
might apprentice for the service of Uncle Sam. 

In tlie spring of 1<SG5 Needham & Beardsley sold 
to a companj', in which C. W. Fisher was one of 
the principal stockholders, and C. W. Fisher and 
W. E. Shepherd, editors. Shortly afterward John 
\V. Murphy bought an interest, but Nov. 1(J, 1865, 
sold to H. C. Leighton and W. H. Needham. lu 
January, 1867, \V. A. Hunter bought the interest 
of Col. Fisher, and continued a member of the 
firm till March, 1870, when he sold to his partners, 
the firm then being Leighton & Needham. I 
1877 George R. Lee purchased the interest ol 
H. Needham, and the firm became Leighton 
& Leiahtou. In 1878 H. C. Leighton died 



;:ii 






h^ 






tSHiSid' 



riHHHrirt 




MAHASKA COUNTY. 



519 



If = — ^ : 

i^ : Charles Leighton whs appointed aflministratoi' of 

1. ; his estate, and assumed business contiul of the 

y-i office. He bought an interest in the office .Jan. 1, 

\] ; 1879, and the firm of Leighton, Lee ife Leighton 

u : Bros, was organized. In I HiSO A. W. iSwaleii bought 

^ : Lee's interest, and the business was continued un- 

i:,r der the name of the Herald Printing C'oniiwny, the 

^-S firm being composed 



f Charles Leigliton, A. W. 
Swalen and 'William M. Leighton. 

In 187G the Weekly Hernid w.is enlarged to its 
present size, a ten-column folio, the size of the 
sheet being 31x50, making it probably the largest 
paper in the State. In 1884, in order to meet a 
just demand, a Saturdaj^'s issue was commenced, 
which is still continued. This issue contains all 
the local and general news up to the hour of going 
to press. It is a seven-column folio. 

The Herald has one of the best-equipped offices 
in the State of Iowa, and, superintended b^' a No. 
1 printer, the work turned out is unsurpassed. It 
has facilities for turning out anything, from a small 
dodger to a three-sheet poster, or from a visiting 
card to a fine book. Everything is guaranteed. 
As for the Herald itself, there is no better paper in 
the State, which is saying a great deal. Al. Swalen, 
its editor, is a man who is well posted in political 
matters and in general literature, and as a writer 
)|:n is easy, fluent and gr.aceful. Charles Leighton, the 
business manager, thoroughl}- understands his part 
of the work. 



I:: 
I;: 
iJ ; 
The 






r 

% 

i-:E 
1. 1 

^ 

1 ■: 
vS 
1 ■: 
1 : 
I z 
\ : 
il : 

>l ' 

lis 
I c 

I : 

if 
\i 

II » 
I 

I 
I 



^'WV •->«j2jB£/©^3^4 



|->»®J^Z'3<J*v.">/v~v 



The Iowa Reform Leader. 

^N the suspension of the Consercator, Mr. 
Welch immediatel}' issued prospectuses of a 
new paper under the above title, with the 
object of advocating the formation of a new part}- 
in Iow;a. Receiving some encouragement, the first 
number of the paper made its appearance July 13, 
1871. In 1872 the paper was identified with the 
Greeley movement, though at the same time stat- 
ing that movement was not what it contemplated, 
but, as choice between Greeley and Grant, it pre- 
ferred the former. In 1873 it was identified with. 



ftxrrjTriiS 



X KlXMX^'f'" 



jr' ' i' j ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' j ' ' ' ^ ' j^ 'ij [i'i'_ r d J Hf tJ i' l'B l L 



but not in complete harmony with the anti-monop- 
oly party. 

In the spring of 1874 the material of the office 
was sold to M. G. Carlton, and for a time Mr. 
Welch published a paper in Albia, Monroe Count}'. 
In the fall of 1874 he removed the office to Oska- 
loosa, and again commenced the publication of the 
Reform Leader, which he continued until July 12, 
1877, when it suspended. In 1876 the ieader sup- 
ported Peter Cooper for the presidencj'. 



-^ <^"^ ' ^- 

The Times. 

^^^ EVERAL attempts were made for the es- 
^^^ tablishment of a Democratic paper at Os- 
%/L-M '^'"^loosa, before success crowned the efforts. 
The Herald, being such a strong advocate 
of AVhig principles, and, as common in the early 
days, being devoted almost entirely to the dissem- 
ination of political principles, could not be satis- 
factory to the followers of Jackson. In January, 
1854, appeared the first number of the Oskaloosa 
Times, tm advocate of Democratic principles, edited 
and published by Cameron it Ingersoll, the junior 
partner, L. D. Ingersoll, afterward becoming some- 
what famous as the Washington correspondent of 
various metropolitan papers during the war. 

After a time the paper changed hands, and was 
ably conducted by R. R. Harbour and David 
Coomes. Samuel Dressier next bought out Coome's 
interest, and soon after A. A. Wheelock bought 
out Mr. Harbour, the paper being published under 
the firm name of Bressler & Wheelock. Richard 
Wellslager next became interested in its publica- 
tion, purchasing the interest of Mr. Bressler. Il 
finally passed into the hands of Mr. Wheelock, anil 
by him was continued until the destruction of the 
office in 18G4, by soldiers who were home on a fur- 
lough. The Times, in some of its editorials, bore 
down pretty heavily upon the soldiers, and, com- 
menting upon the killing of A. T. Alloway, used 
language that was quite offensive to the men then 
imperiling their lives in the field. In March, 1804, 
some of the men of Company H visited the office 
and asked the suspension of the paper while thej' 



II 



ifrh: m .'. rr. : mri 1 1 1" . ij "jttt^ .- . 



jrcTTTxrjS^ 



■ H»»H»»1»»1 TTT'TTT ¥» 1 t » H t f 






IXXU-XIXXJ-XI.IZ LITIXIM 1 



*"T-»-TTT» t >T-I tTTTTTTi I T 1 iTT-nr-r T 



520 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



were at, home on a furlough. This was refused on 
the part of the proprietor, who, in his nest issue, 
stated tiiat he had been threatened by the soldiers, 
who. if they attempted to molest him, would have 
to face the Demopracy of Mahaska County. On 
Saturday following the appearance of that issue, a 
number of the members of Co. H, 3d Iowa Vol. 
Inf., marched to the office, threw the forms of the 
paper into the street, emptied all the cases of type, 
and then left. The ]iaper never again made its 
appearance. 



Democratic Conservator. 

N the suspension of the Times, the ]3emoc- 
racy of Mahaska County was without an 
organ for a time. A stoclv company was 
formed, an office purchased, and a new paper es- 
tablished, called the Watchman, with Rev. Ira C. 
Mitchell as editor. It continued in existence but 
a short time, dj'ing of starvation. Samuel B. 
Evans attempted to revive it, but only issued one 
number of the paper and abandoned the enterprise. 
Earl)' in 186.T George W. See vers and Russell 
Higgins made use i>f the material of the Watchman 
office, and issued a few numbers of a p:i|)er they 
called the Reveille, but could not secure sufficient 
support to justify its coutinuance. On the 2d day 
of August, 1866, Porte C. Welch commenced the 
issue of the Democratic Conservator, which, for a 
time, proved fairly successful. In 1869 the paper 
commenced the advocacy of a new jiarty, and its 
name was changed to Progressive Conservator. 
This paper was continued with more or less success 
until .lune 2',t, 1871, when it ceased to exist. 



-*- 



The Saturday Globe. 

^HIS is one of the neatest papers published in 
the State of Iowa. It was established Oct. 1 , 
1881, by Alonzo Sherman, under the name 
of the Telephone. When first issued it was but a 
four-column folio, printed on a sheet 18x24, but 
was subsequently enlarged by Mr. Sherman to a 



seven-column folio, or double its original size. Fori': 
a time the paper was quite successful, and bid fairfe 
to become a permanent institution in Oskaloosa,S 
but for some cause it lost the good- will of the busi-ffi 
nesscommunit}', and in the fall of 1882 passed intoS:} 
the hands of J. W. .Tarnagin, who continued itsS 
publication with increasing prosperity until thea 
spring of 1884. During this time II. B. Drake was5 
running a job office on the north side of the square,! 
which, in the spring of 1883, he sold to G. W.I 
Shocklej' and S. B. Kiusey, who removed it to the| 
south side of the square, and continued the busi- 
ness. 

The pattnership between Shockley and Kinsey 
continued until April 1, 1884, when T. M. Shock- 
ley purchased the interest of Mr. Kinsey, and the 
firm name of Sliockley Bros, was adopted. In M,iy,||i 
1884. J. W. .Johnson [lurch.ased the office, sub-gl 
scription list, and good-will of the Telephone, a,n& 
forming a partnership with Shockley Bros., under 
the firm name of .Tohnson & Shockle3' Bros., con- 
tinued the publication of the paper, though at once 
changing its name to the Saturday Globe, and also 
enlarged it to a six-column quarto. The object 
from the first with the present owners was to estab- 
lish a flrst-cl.ass family newspaper, non-partisan, but 
thoroughly" impartial in its comments on passing 
events. They determined to win the confidence 
and respect of not only the business men, but of 
the citizens in general. That they have succeeded 
let its present Large circulation and its advertising 
patronage attest. When the present film took hold 
of the paper it had a circulation of but about 700, 
now above 2,000 copies are printed weekly. What 
is known as patent outside or ready print, was used | 
at first, but this was changed Oct. 1, 1885, in con- 
sequence of the great demand made upon its local 
columns by advertisers. The statement is made in 
the beginning of this article that it is one of the 
neatest papers printed in the State of Iowa. This 
is positively' a fact, for it has no superior, typo- 
graphically speaking. It is printed upon first-class, 
cre.im-tinted paper, and is a credit to all concerned. 
The editorial department will compare favorablj' 
with an}' paper in the St.ate, its editor, Mr. J. W. 
Johnson, being a ready and forcible wTiter upon 
any subject he chooses to handle. 



M 




t-'iiTj~f;r;*"j 



.-ir-i- .-r- I-. 




MAHASKA COUNTY 



Politically the paper is inrlepeiKleiit in its broad- 
est sense, anil upon all questions atlecting |)nlilit' 
interest has no hesitancy in speaking' as thought 
best for the good *>f all. While never neutral it i.< 
also not partisan, so that nieniliers of either of the 
great parties can find no fault with it. In connec- 
tion with the paper is a first-class job otlice, with 
steam-power press, and a supply of material equal 
to any demands that may be made. The Shockley 
brothers are first-class printers. 



V. 
M, 

ir 






E 



New Sliaroii Star. 

^HIS paper was founded in 1S73. by H. .1. 
Vail, its first issue bearing date of January 
22, of that year. It was a seven-column 
fcilio. but was soon enlaiged to an eighf-eoluran 
folio. In December, l.s7.'), its form was changed 
to a six-cohimn quarto, but after a few years it 
again returned to its old form and size, an eight- 
column folio. H. J. Vail continued its editor and 
publisher until April 22. mM'), when he sold to his 
brother, David \'ail, who still c<intinues in charge. 
The Star has alw,a3s been Republican in its poli- 
tics, while decidedly independent in tone. As a 
local sheet it is one of the best in the State of 
Iowa, making the best use of all the material at 
hand for the publication of a local jjaper. It is al- 
ways found on the moral side of every question 
affecting the interest of New .Sharon and vicinit}'. 
and deserves well of its constituency. 



^11^ 



-<>- 




The Oskaloosa Timos. 

T the present writing (February, 1887) this 

is the only Democratic paper published in 

Mah.oska County. In the summer of 1 S.s.'i 

a joint stock company w.as formed, and 

material purchased for the publication of a new 

Democratic paper, the first number of which made 




its appearance under date of July 16. 1885. It was 
a six-column quarto, well and neatly printed, witli 
Mr. G. Carlton in the editorial chair. William T. 
Smith was business manager, or superintendent, 
though all work was done under the supervision of 
-Mr. Carlton. The latter continued to act iis editor 
for one year, and was then succeeded by O. H. 1'. 
Grove. July l.j, 18t<6. Mr. (4rove being a practi- 
cal newspaper man, as well as a ready writer, gave 
life and tone to the paper, and everything seemed 
to be working smoothly' and harmoniousli'. But 
on the morning of December 22, the whole outfit 
"went up in smoke" in the great fire of that day. 
Everything was burned, and the Democrac}- of Ma- 
haska was left without an organ. As soon as possi- 
ble after the fire a meeting of stockholders was 
held, and it was resolved to renew the publication 
of the paper as soon as the building could be re- 
erected and a room prepared. K. II. Gibbs, the 
owner of the building, who returned fnjin Chicago 
the day after the fire, at once put a force of men 
t(^ work, and in fifty-eight days h.ad the rooms 
ready for occupancy, and the Times again made its 
appearance, handsomer than ever. Some of the 
stockholders, feeling themselves unable to replace 
the amount lost, sold to .lames E. Seevers, who 
now^ owns one-half the stock, and is the present 
business manager. O. H. 1'. Grove was retained in 
the publication of the paper, its editorial matter 
being impersonal, though in an article announcing 
the change it was stated : 

'•It i.s proper to remark here that the business 
manager alone is responsible for the paper's policy 
and behavior, and old enemies, if there be any. 
who may be bent upon a reconciliation, know with 
whom to negotiate a peace ; likewise it is intended in 
this cimnection to give a hint to any who may be 
inclined to provoke hostilities, that they may know- 
where to send the challenge." 

The Times presents a very neat and attractive 
appearance, proof that a thorough, practical printer 
is in charge. Being the only Democratic paper 
in the county, and reaching a class of people not 
reached by other papers in the county, makes it a 
valuable advertising medium. The office h.as a fine 
assortment of job type, and is well prepared to turn 
out a superior class of work. 



I 
Jl 



n. 



11 




11 

,lr=Jr^l 




MAHASKA COUNTY. 




ft "^g :::;.: ..iL -..jir 






*^^^^^ 





Coal Interests. 

HE coal interests of Mahnska County are 
greater than an}- coiuitj' in the State, in 
^^^^^ fact its annual output is almost equal to that 
of any two counties. By whom the first coal was 
taken is unknown, but being exposed in man_v 
places, many of the earlier settlers began its use 
soon after coming to the county. During the first 
year of its exstence, lfs.50, the Oskaloosa Herald 
often referred to the coal fields of the county as be- 
ing inexhaustible, and a mine of wealth to the peo- 
ple when they could be properly developed. Un- 
doubtedly there are veins of coal inider the en- 
tire county. Prof. White, formerly State Geolo- 
gist, when asked in relatioji to the extent of the 
coal fields of the county, gave it as his opinion 
that the supply was sufficient for a five-foot vein 
over the entire surface. While many private 
mines were opened and uuicli coal used for the lo- 
cal trade, it was not until the completion of the 
Central Iowa liailroad that the mines were de- 
veloped to any great extent. 

The coal of this count}', says the Slate Mine In- 
spector, is about as easily developed as any in the 
State, as both of the Skunk Rivers, and also the Des 
Moines River, traverse the county from northwest 
to southeast, and all three of these rivers, as well 

, as their tributaries, have cut their channels through 
jj. the coal measures, leaving the measures exposed or 

M thinly covered along their banks. 

About the first extensive mining operations com- 



uienced in 1873, b}' the organization of the Cen- 
tral Iowa Coal Company, of which H. W. McNeill 
was the Superintendent. That corporation absorbed 
the Hardin and Mahaska Coal Company, and sub- 
sequently the Southern Coal Company, with 700 
acres of land in Muchachiuock Valley. In 1875 ^tj 
the Consolidation Coal Company was organized, 
including the above and the Black Diamond Works, 
with a cash capital of $500,000. H. W. McNeill 
was made Superintendent of this company, which 
commenced and carried on a large business, ship- 
ping annually about 250,000 tons of coal. In the fall 
of 1880, the C. & N. W. li. R. Co. bought out the 
consolidated company, which was then owned al- 
most exclusively by II. W. and W. A. McNeill, and 
J. K. Graves, the consideration being §500,000. g} 
Since that time the Northwestern has worked the §} 
mines, employing on an average about 500 men, 
and taking out 275,000 tons per year, requir- 
ing 27,500 cars to transport it, or an average 
of uearl}' 100 cars per each vvorking day. .1. K. 
Buxton has been manager of these mines since the}' 
came under the control of the Chicago and North- 
western Company. This company has been quite 
fortunate in not having h strike since it com- 
menced operations. 

Some ;350 outof the 500 employes of the Con- 
solidation Coal Company (its name not being 
changed by the railroad company ) are colored men. 
The first colored men imported into the county was 
in 1881, since which time about 1,500 have come in. 




.1 



many of whom were unfit for woric in the inines, and 
soon dropped out. Some returned South, while oth- 
ers found suitable imployraent in this and neighbor- 
ing counties. A society lias been organized by them 
for mutual protection. Each married man pays into 
the society' $1 per month, and each single man fifty 
cents. Kighty per cent of this amout is paid to a 
ph)'sician for his medical services, while 2(1 per 
cent goes into a sinking fund for the burial of the 
dead. They had in the summer of 1886, over $500 
in the sinking fund. Another feature of the col- 
onj'^ is woith mentioning. Any difficulty occurring 
between members is settled among themselves. A 
trial is had and the offending party fined, the tine 
going into the sinking fund. In case one refuses 
to pay the fine he is expelled from the society and 
the coal company refuses all further emploj^nient 
to him. All money is paid out on order signed by 
the President and Secretary of the society. The 
Treasurer of the coal company acts as Treasui-er of 
the society. 

In 1885, according to the report of the Coal 
Mine Inspector, there were thirty-eight mines in 
operation in the eount3', operated by the following- 
named companies or individuals : Consolidation Coal 
Company, three slopes and one shaft; L. K. Thomp- 
son, one drift; Excelsior Coal Company, one drift 
and two shafts; Andrew Moore, one slope; O. H. 
Vance, one shaft; Marshall Underwood, one shaft; 
Henderson England, one slope; William Evans, one 
slope; Robert Evans, one slope; Samuel Ream, one 
drift; William Ilallowell, one drift; Iowa Coal Com- 
pany, one shaft and one sloi)e; James Morrow, one 
shaft; John Chilcoat, one drift; George L. Shoe- 
make, one slope; Leighton Co.al and Mining Com- 
pany, one drift; O. O. Chapman, one slope; .lacob 
Heightman, one shaft; Hugh Smith, one slope; 
American Coal Company, two slopes; Acme Coal 
Company-, one shaft; Western Union Fuel Com- 
pany, one shaft; Nathan Hussey, one shaft; Samuel 
Cable, one shaft; Samuel Smith, one shaft; Howard 
ife Sous, one Shaft; Standard Coal Company, one 
shaft; John Burgess, one shaft; Joseph Davenport, 
one shaft; W. N. Hoover, one shaft; Williuni Har- 
rowman, one shaft. 

The output of these mines for 1884, as reported 
to the State Mine Inspector, was 932,714 tons. 



IllllllUJliXU 

I rrmu rzxxrzu 



S.i, 




which, estimating at ten tons to a carload, would 
require for its transportation, 93,271 cars. Re- 
duced to bushels, there would 23,317,850. At 
eight cents per bushel, or $2 pf-r ton, it would 
amount to ijl, 805,428 for the year. A very neat 
sum to bo taken out of the bowels of the earth in 
Mahaska County in one year. 

The Standard Coal Company was organized in 
1882, with W. A. Durfee, President, and H. C. 
Rockwell. Secretary and Treasurer. E. L. Dudley 
is the present President; II. C. Rockwell, Secretary 
and Treasurer; W. Durfee, Superintendent of 
Mines. Mr. Durfee has occupied the latter posi- 
tion since the organization of the company, and 
well understands his business. The company usu- 
ally employ from 100 to 200 men, and mine about (^^ 
75,000 tons per j'ear. The voin from which the j] 
coal is Udcen is four and a half feet thick. The 
coal is of as good quality as any in the State, and 
is shipped north for railroad and local trade. 



1 



I 
I 



-<>~5iS -:: 



Agrrlriiltiiriil. 




AHASKA has always been regarded as one jl \ 
of the best counties in the State for agri- r, 
cultural purposes. All the cereals pcculi.Tr ' 
to this climate flourish liere. In the forty - 
three years since the first settlement was made, it 
is affirmed by those residing here, during all that 
time, there has never been a total failure of crops, 
either from drouth or a wet season. The year 
18!SG was probably the worst in its history, and Lj 
some suffering was experienced from drouth, but |1 
notwithstanding there was a fair crop of almost all l! 
kinds of grain. The fact is, the soil is capable of (11 
standing either a wet or dry sesison. , 'hl:^ 

MAHASKA COUNTY AGKK TLTLKAL SOCIUTY. 

In the fall i.f 1 s.",(i the Oskaloosa Herald called 
the attention of farmers and others to the impor- 
tance of a Society for the purpose of disseminating 
useful inforination in regard tv agricultural and 
mechanical affairs. The matter was quietly dis- 
cussed among those interested during the following 
winter, and in the spring of 1852 a call was issued 
for the purpose of organization. On the loth of 



miiitiiiti I iiixiuTii 



•XS"^ 




XXXXSIZIUXTXXZII^ ^tiy : 'E* 



524 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



m 



4 

m 



1 



i;n 



March, a meeting was held at the court-house, in 
which Poultney Loughridge was chosen Chairman, 
and T. F. .Seevers, Secretary. After a lull and free 
discussion, a committee of five was appointed to 
draft constitution and ijy-laws and report the same 
at an adjourned meeting to lie held on the 27th of 
March. E. W. Eastman. Andrew Williams. John 
S. Walker, T. F. Seevers and A. M. Galer were ap- 
pointed the said committee. 

Atthe adjourned meeting the committee reported 
the Constitution of the Mahaska County Agricult- 
ural Society, together with articles of incorporation, 
which were adopted, after which the following- 
named officers were elected: Poultney Loughridge, 
President; John Bond and C. N. Smith, Vice- 
Presidents: Thomas F. Seevers, Secretary : Andrew 
Williams, Treasurer. On the 12th of June another 
meeting was held, at which it was resolved that the 
first annual fair of the society should be held at 
Oskaloosa. .Saturday. Oct. 23. l!S.')2. At the ap- 
pointed time the fair was held. The Herald for 
the following week stated that it was l)etter at- 
tended than anticipated, though the number of 
articles on exhibition was not large. 



The second fair was held on .Saturd.ay, Oct. l.i. 
18o3. at which there was a much larger attendance, 
and a much larger and better displ.ay "f agriciMt- 
ural and mechanical products. At this fair William 
Frederick took the first premium on corn. Iiaving 
on one acre of ground raised 138 bushels. 

County Fairs were held each year, and in 1 8.58 
the State Fair was also held in Oskaloosa, as also 
in 1859. _ The latter was no better than the regu- 
lar county fairs now held at this place. 

In 1873 the old society abandoned its articles 
of incor|)oration. and in 1874 a joint stock com- 
pany was organized, under the name and title of 
Mahaska County Agricultural Societj-, with a paid 
up capital of i|10,00o. with privilege of increas- 
ing to 5)40,000. The society has been quite suc- 
cessful in its operations, and owns one of the best 
fair grounds in the State, situated in the north- 
western part of the city of Oskaloosa. There is an 
excellent race track, wide enough for six sulkies 
aljreast. For the past few j'ears Henry H. Prine 
has been President of the society, and under his 
wise ministrations the grounds have been well kept, 
and the fairs have been nuiformlv successful. 





% 



in 



p,^^^^^ 



TlTT tlBT L 



m 



13 



i 



i; ! 
i; ! 



13 

i; 
1 ! 



liiiciiiteJ 



w^iiiHumi^'umHiufuaiiu 



jSS^Sa 




r// ///////y^ 4 




MAHASKA COUNTY. 



525 







^% 



:|1 






-^^: 





-;»t^ ,;«»^i^*^^'^»tf-» 




OME of the fairest of the 
smaller cities of the United 
States are located in Iowa. 
Prominent among these is Os- 
kaloosa, the gem city of the 
State. It is beautifully lo- 
cated u])on the divide, at an al- 
most equal diytance from the Des 
Moines and Skunk Uivei's. Fort}'- 
three years i\go the site of the citj- 
nas a wildoiness. where the white 
man had no home, liut where wild 
liirdsand beasts abounded, and where 
the red man loved to roam. But 
the time had come foi- the birds to 
take their tliglit. the wild beasts to 
flee, and the red men to move on toward the setting- 
sun. William D. Canfield was the first white man to 
erect his cabin upon the site of the i)resent fair city. 
In the spring of lf>44 he made his claim, and built 
a log house near where the Central Iowa depot is 
located. At that time tiie county had not been 
organized, nor had an^' steps licen taken for its oi- 
ganization, and therefore, it is not likely that Mr. 
Canfield had thought of the county seat lieing here 
located. He desired a home in this favored land, 
and this localitj' he made his choice. But the countj' 
was being rapidly settled, and its organization was 
soon determined upon. The Territorial Legislature 
passed a suitable act for the purpose, Coniniissionei-s 
were appointed, an election held, and Mahaska was 
numbered among the counties of what was soon to 



■ ' ' "^ *^fTT¥rTTT* ITTX^*" 



"'""F^XJUIXKHIXXXm"'"! 



l)e one of the brightest and best of the States of 
the Union. A home must now be selected for the 
officers of the count3% where the official business 
could properly be attended to. The Commissioners 
appointed by the State for that purpose selected a 
portion of section 13, township 75, range 16 west, 
of the principal meridian, giving it the name of 
Oskaloosa, in honor, it is said of a beautiful Indi.an 
maiden of that name, signifying "the l.i.st of the 
beautiful." 

At the time it was selected as the county' seat it 
is said there was not a single tree upon the original 
plat, but now every street is lined with beautiful 
elm and maple trees, while upon all improved 
residence lots fruit and ornamental trees have 
been set out in such abundance that Oskaloosa of 
to-day is known by man\' as the "City of Trees." 
It can also be said to be a city of churches as well, 
fnr its religious welfare has been zealously guarded 
l)y the various religious organizations of the day, 
the leading denominations being provided with com- 
fortable as well as ornamental houses of worship. 
The schools, too, of the city, are a source of pride, l' 
With Oskaloosa and Penu Colleges, the Oskaloosa 
Business College, and the public schools, each di- 
rected bj' experienced educators, an opportunity 
is afforded for obtaining an excellent education at 
a nominal price. Thoroughness in every depart- 
ment seems to be the watchword of each of the 
schools. 

(Jskaloosa has attained its present standing by a 
stead}' gi-owth. There is not nor ever has been 



III: 









rxuii 



ll .. 

.1 " 

Mi; 

LlJi 




fpi 



anything of the mushroom in its development. If 
anything, its citizens have been too cautious, and 
have not reached ont for those things easil.y obtain- 
able, and which would have redounded to its ci'edit 
and been profitable to all. It cannot but be ac- 
knowledged that no inlan<l t<iwn in the State of 
Iowa has as many natural advantages as this place. 
Surrounded by as fine an agricultural region as can 
be found in the entire Union, capable of withstand- 
ing wet or di'outh, with inexhaustible coal fields, 
stone in al)nndance, the best of clay for tiling and 
brick, there is nothing to prevent it making one of 
the largest and best cities in the State. 

It may be said the city was unfortunate in secur- 
ing railroad facilities at an early day. That cannot 
be denied, and that had much to do in retarding its 
growth. To-day its railroad facilities are good, the 
place being easily accessible to all parts of the coun- 
try, and it is with pleasure that it is noted that its 
citizens are endeavoring to secure a portion of that 
trade which properly belongs to it. and to establish 
such manufacturing enterprises as can be made 
profitable. At the present time Oskaloosa has sev- 
eral wholesale stores that are doing a business that 
will compare favorably with those of longer stand- 
ing in other places. In manufacturing it is begin- 
ning to take its proper place among the towns which 
have made for themselves a deserving reputation. 

As alread}' stated William D. Canfleld was the first 
white man to erect his cabin upon the site of the 
present city. On account of the opposition of those 
favorable to other locations for the seat of justice 
of the county, the growth of Oskaloosa was very 
slow during the first few mouths of its existence. 
Smith & Cameron had the courage of their con- 
victions, that the choice of the Commissioners 
would be the choice of the people, and that upon 
the divide was the proper place for the location of 
the town. Therefore, soon after its selection they 
opened a small stock of general merchandise. They 
were soon after followed by George W. Jones, with a 
stock of groceries, including •' wet goods." Mr. 
Jones was not favorable to Oskaloosa at first, as he 
was the proprietor of a town site on the Des Moines 
River, which he thought the most desirable place 
for the county seat. But, as the people said other- 
wise, "he did not propose to fight the whole 



county," and wishing to avail himself of everj' ad- 
vantage, he accordingly moved into the new vil- 
lage. 

Among those who came here during the first 
year were Drs. William AVeatherford and T. D. 
Porter, well known to all the older citizens of the 
county. They were the first phj'sicians in the 
place, and for many years attended to the medical 
wants of the people, dividing with Drs. Boyer and 
Warren the practice of the county. JI. T. Will- 
iams was another early settler, coming here in the 
spring of 1 844, and making this his home during 
the remainder of his life. Henry Temple was the 
first lawyer, but remained only a few short years. 

CITY GOVERNMENT. 

In December, 1851, £. W. Eastman appeared be- 
fore Judge Crookham, of the County Court, with a 
petition requesting the calling of an election at 
which it should be decided whether the town should 
be incorporated as a city. The election was ordered 
to be held at the court-house, Dec. 27, 1851, at 
which time there were sixty-three votes cast for in- 
corporation and sixty-one against. At another elec- 
tion held Jan. 3, 1852, E. W. Eastman, John R. 
Needham, A. S. Nichols, William II. Seevers and 
M. T. Williams were chosen to prepare a char- 
ter. Eailing to comply with the requirements of 
the law, the matter was allowed to rest until May 
12, 1853, when another application was filed before 
the County Court, bj* William Loughridge, on the 
part of the petitioners, in response to which an 
election was ordered to be held at the court-house, 
May 20, 1853, for the purpose of again voting for 
or against incorporation. The vote stood sev- 
enty-three to six in favor of incorporation. On the 
28th of May another election was held to choose 
persons to prepare a charter. S. A. Rice, M. T. 
Williams and William Loughridge were chosen for 
that purpose. 

The charter was presented to the Court June 17, 
1853, submitted to the people June 28th, and 
adopted b}' them by a vote of forty-four to two, a 
very small vote. The first citj' election was or- 
dered to be held July 2, 1853. This charter, after 
defining the limits of the city and declaring the 
purpose of its incorporation, provided for a couii- I 



sn 



U 







r^r'H^^r^fl 







MAHASKA COUNTY. 



527 



I,'!;; cil, to be cumposed of a Mayor, and two Aldermen 
|[ ; ; from each of the four wards into which the city 

:5 was divided. It also provided for a Treasurer and 
i:S Clerk of the city, fixed the time and manner of all 
};■: city elections, defined the powers of the Mayor, 

ri Council, Clerk and Treasurer, and the manner of 
; holding the first election. In this election the 

iig Country Judge appointed James Edgar, S. A. Rice 
a and William Ballard, Judges of Election, and James 
J A. Talbot and IJanicl Ogilvie, Clerks. William T. 
: Smith was elected Mayor over William Loughridge, 
: receiving sixty-six votes to Mr. Loughridge's sixty. 
its He was duly qualified and commissioned by Judge 

il Crookham, a meeting of the council called, and the 
I wheels of the city government set in motion. 
5 Under this charter the city government was con- 
; tinned until Jan. 24, 1855, when the citj' was in- 
1 corporated by a special act of the Legislature, and 

J the old charter rendered null and void. For nine 

^E years the citizens were apparently satisfied with 
i this last charter, when, upon the I<sth day of Jan- 

;g uary, 1864, an election was held, and it was de- 
J cided to organize as a citj- of the second class, un- 
; der the code of Iowa. In some manner the records 
J of this transaction were lost or destroyed, so, in 
{ 1876, the cit3" solicitor, in order to avoid all possi- 
c ble trouble, secured the passage of an iict by the 

i Legislature, legalizing the city, rendering valid and 
'36 binding all acts of the city government since the 

i» adoption of the act for the organization of cities of 

if the second class. 



EDfCiTIOXAL. 



E The first school in Oskaloosa was held iu the 
J winter of 1844-45, b}' Samuel Caldwell, in the 
: house of A. G. Phillips. There were but few 
i| J scholars in attendance and a very large room was 
; not required. Mr. Caldwell went to Oregon a year 
: or two afterward, and it is said gained some repu- 
^ fC tation from the compilation of a spelling book. 
The second school in the town was in the summer 
of 1845, in the house of Levi Smith, the teacher 
being James Johnson. He was succeeded by Miss Se- 
mira E. Ilobbs, now Mrs. T. G. Phillips, who taught 
a term of three months in a log cabin. In the fol- 
lowing winter X. Bonham taught school iu John 
Cameron's house. From that time on private 



5^: ' 



irTiTTin n !!»•■•*» ■ ^ y«'»» 



"^ 



niS 



schools flourished until the public schools were fully 
established, and the people began to realize better 
work was being done iu them than in the select 
schools, at less expense. 

In 1850 J. M. Sweeney had a private school in 
the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. In 1852 
Newton Doggett taught in the court-house, and R. 
N. Fee in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. 
The latter was advertised as a High Scliool, the 
higher branches l)eing taught, as well as the more 
common. The Normal School, under charge of 
George W. Drake, was commenced in 1853, and 
continued by him for three years, when W. L. 
Johnson assumed charge of it. In 1858 A. Hull, 
who is yet a resident of the city, commenced teach- 
ing a High School. In 1859 the Presb^'terian Fe- 
male Seminary was established, under the charge 
of J. S. You mans. 

The first public school, one paid in whole or in 
part from public money, of which any account 
could be obtained, was opened on the 22d day of 
Januarj', 1855. There were, doubtless, others held, 
for the school district of which Oskaloosa formed 
a part, was formed some j-ears previousl}-. During 
the year 1854 a brick school-house was erected on 
High street, east of Monroe street, by Christian 
Houtz, and was long known as the Gospel Ridge 
School-house. At the time school was opened in 
this house, the Cumberland Presbyterian Church 
was also rented for scliool purposes, the number of 
pnpils having rapidl}' increased. Oskaloosa was 
now enjoying a veritable boom, its pleasant loca- 
tion, the mineral and agi'icultural wealth of the 
countj', and, as it was thought, the certainty of a 
railroad in the near future, was attracting many 
settlers. In 1857 there was a demand for more 
room for school purposes, and the Normal School 
building was purch.ised. James M. Loughridge 
was then Principal of the schools, the Herald of 
that year giving him very flattering notices. 

In 1859 the cit}' of Oskaloosa was made an inde- 
pendent school district, and in the following year 
the cost of the school was 12,465.78. The first 
School Board of the indopendcut district of Oska- 
loosa was composed of the following named: J. Y. 
Hopkins, President; II. Howard, Vice President; 
James A. Young, Secretary ; Johu While. Treas- 



^m 



) H'j;viiit; \ ii::v:\!i-:i\! i\!iuiVi 








msSi 



-rTTT-TTTTW 




m 



urer; J. Byers and John Montgomery, Directors. 
There was no attempt at grading the schools un- 
til 18B4. when a course of study was adopted. 
Joseph McC'arty was the first Superintendent under 
the present graded system, with Ira O. Kemble as 
Principal of the Higii Scliool. There being in- 
sufficient room in tlie Normal and Oospel Ridge 
school buildings, the Presl)yterian Church was 
rented for the use of the High School. In June. 
1<S0(), the block on which the High School building- 
stands was purciiased for §1,000. During the same 
vear tiie first public school for colored children was 
estalilished. The separation of the white and col- 
ored children continued liut a few years, each now 
having equal privileges in any of tlie schools. 

The city continuing to grow, the demand for ad- 
ditional school rooms became urgent, and in 1809 
the contract was let for the erection of the present 
magnificent High School building for the sum of 
$;^4,H00. It was completed in 1870, but at a cost 
greatlj' exceeding the contract price. The build- 
ing contains eleven rooms, with a seating capac- 
ity of .T"2.5. At the time of the building of this 
structure the schools of this city were held in the 
Gosjjel Ridge. N<jrmal buildings, the Cumberland 
Presbyterian Church, and in a small room known 
as Birge's otiice. Other buildings have since been 
erected, and to-day Oskaloosa is well supplied with 
large and handsome structures, each ward having 
its building. The salaries paid teachers range from 
142.50 to ^100 per month. 

Much of the credit for the )H'esent efficiency of 
the schools of Oskaloosa is due Prof. H. H. Seerly, 
who was ai)pointed Superintendent in 1875, and 
served till the end of the school year in 1886. 
Prof. Seerly was a fine scholar, a thorough disciplin- 
arian, with executive ability of a high order. He 
had no troulile in securing the confidence of the 
school boiu'd, patrons of the school, teachers and 
scholars, and also of winning their love and respect. 

Prof Seerly was succeeded in the fall of 1886 by 
Prof. O. C. Sc(.itt, who iiad l)een for some years 
Priiici|)al of the High School. While his work as 
Superintendent is yet to be tried, there is no doubt 
of his ability or of his success. Under his admin- 
istration the high grade of the schools will be 
maintained. 



RELIGIOUS. a 

Oskaloosa, as has already been stated, is well g,; 
supplied with churches. It lies between Revs. A. gj; 
W. Johnson and J. M. Cameron, the former a 6; 
Methodist Episcopal, and the latter a Cumberland ^i; 
Presbyterian minister, as to who preached the first 3! 



sermon in this place. A class was organized by S 



I 

: a, 



Mr. J(jhnson in the fall of 1844. at the house of A. : Oj 
Qr. Phillips, of those liolding to the Methodist faith, g 
while the Cumberland Presbyterians were the first 3 
to erect a house of worship. At present the fol- : 
lowing denominations are represented in the place: 5 
Baptist, Catholic, Christian, Congregational, Epis- 3 
copal. Friends, Methodist Episcopal, Presbyterian. 3 
Cumberland Presbyterian. This congregation 3 
was organized by Rev. B. B. Bonham Nov. 10, § 
1844, with a membership of twentj'-two persons, g 
The first Ruling Elders were W. McMurry, Robert 5 ^ 
W. Long. Silas M. Martin, Thomas P. Chapman, |;i 
M. L. Smith and W. B. Street. Early in 1846 steps 
were taken for the erection of a church edifice, and 
the building was completed in that year, being the 
first in the countj'. Rev. J. M. Cameron and Rev. 
Jolly ministered to the congregation principally 
until 1850, when the minister and all the male 
members of the congregation except three went to 
California. From this time until 1857 the congre- 
gation merely held its own, neither gaining nor 
losing in its membership. In 1857 Rev. J. M. 
Lawrence became Pastor, and continued as such 
until the fall of 1866, when Rev. G. S. Adams was 
soon afterward called. He was succeeded in 1869 
by Rev. W. M. Metcalf, who remained about one 
year. Rev. William Wilson then came, and re- 
mained a few months, since which time the church 
has been without a Pastor. For many years the 
old Cumberland Presbyterian Church was the only 
house of worship in the place, and was occupied in 
common by other religious bodies. Public meet- 
ings of all kinds, and public and select schools were 
also held in. the building. The bell, which for 
many long years called the people to worship, was 
brought from Keokuk in 1846 on a lumber- wagon, 
and was so hung that it would ring by the jostling 
of the wagon the entire journey. For some 3'ears 
the church has been doing little, though retaining 
its organization in order to hold its property. ; Bi-: 




Pir'r'i-'r'rl 



Pir'Hr'r'rO 




MAHASKA COUNTY. 



529 



1 ■ 

i; 

I 

I 

r: 

1:1 
\i 

i; 
i; 

IP 
I? 






Methodist Episcopal. There .-n-e two congrega- 
tions in tiie citj-. The first Metiiodist Kpiscopal 
Church dates its organization baclc to tlie fall of 
1844, when a class was organized here by Kev. A. 
W. Tlionii)Son. Meetings were first held in private 
houses and then in the court-house until 1853, 
when a small brick Iniilding was erected, which in 
due time became too small, and was enlarged in 
1857, and again in 1865. The membership steadily 
grew \intil in 1808 there were over 500. It was 
now thought best to divide the charge, and the 
Simpson Methodist Episcopal Church was organ- 
ized. The latter body held its meetings in a hall 
on the south side of the square for two years, and 
then built their present house of worship, at a cost 
of *;2().O00. At the present time both churches are 
in a fiourishing condition, Rev. W. H. II. Pillsbury, 
D. I)., being Pastor of the First Church, and Rev. 
Dr. Thomas K. Corkhili of the Simiwon. 

The colored citizens of Oskaloosa also have a 
.strong organization of this faith. 

Congregational. This church was organized 
Oct. 24, 1 844, by Revs. J. A. Reed and B. A. Spauld- 
ing, with six members, as follows: .James .Seevers 
and wife, William Roswell and wife, llenr^' Temple 
and .lane Wilkins. Rev. Mr. .Spaulding was one 
of the first ministers of the Gospel in this section of 
the State, and traveled extensively throughout the 
whole region. For some years the congregation 
worshiped in private houses, public halls and 
other places, and was also without a pastor. In 
1854, Rev. R. A. Westervelt was called to the i)as- 
torate, and served until 18()0, being succeeded by 
Rev. Thomas E. Roberts, who came in February. 
1861, but remained only one year. In May, 1862. 
Rev. C. II. (iates commenced his labors as past^ir, 
serving until March lit. lf<6s. Rev. (4. D. A. Hib- 
bard came ne.xt. but died Dec. 14, 1870, while in 
his third year of his ministry- in this place. In .Jan- 
uary, 1871, Rev. .1. A. Snowdeu became pastor, and 
served as such until Feb. 18, 1886. when he re- 
signed. The church was then without a pastor until 
December, 1886, when Rev. C. H. Keays com- 
menced his labors. 

During Mr. Westervelt's pastorate, a house of 
worship was erected, which was completed anil 
dedicated .July •.i4,lt<o7. In 1878 the church liuild- 



ing was remodeled .at a cost of $2,200, making it 
larger and more comfortable in everj^ way. The 
church is now in a prosperous condition, with a 
membership of 224. of whom 145 are females. It 
is a working body, and thorough!}' organized. 
During the year 1886, when without a pastor, it 
raised §;)!);). 21 for church and mission purposes, 
while for the last year of Mr. Snowden's pastorate, 
it raised §1,919. During 1887 this will doubtless 
be largely increased. The pastor receives a salary 
of §1,500 per year. The Sunday-school is well 
organized, with A. \V. Rader as Superintendent. 
He is the successor of C. P. .Searle, who served for 
fifteen years. The present officers of the church 
are C. P. Searle, A. A. Coburn, E. Edris and 
Henry Howard, Deacons; A. W. Rader, R. Kissick, 
C. T. Willard, C. C. Weeks and H. S. Howard, 
Trustees; R. L. Turner, Clerk. 

Presbyterian. The First Presbj'terian Church 
of Oskaloosa was organized Feb. 21, 1845, by 
Rev. Samuel Cowles, with seven members. Rev. 
Cowles acted as supply* for about five years, since 
which time the church has had several pastors, some 
of whom have done an excellent work in building 
up and strengthening the cause in this place. The 
construction of the first house of worship was com- 
menced in 1848, but not completed until 1855. 
Its cost was $3,025. The present house of worship 
was built in 1883, and 'was dedicated the first Sun- 
day in September of that year. It is a handsome 
structure, one block east of the southeast corner of 
the square, and cost about $18,000, including the 
lot. In the basement of the church is a lecture 
room, Bible class room, infant class room, with 
cloak and stor.age room. The main audience room 
is seated with ui)holstered chairs. Though not so 
large.it is the handsomest church edifice in the city. 

The church was without a regular pastor until 
February, 1852, being su|)plied by various minis- 
ters. At that time Rev. George M. Swan was in- 
stalled, a!id served until 1854, during which time 
fifty-six persons were added to the church. In 
.June, 1855, Rev. Irwin Carson became pastor, and 
continued in this relation until the fall of 1858, and 
undei- his pastorate 109 persons were admitted to 
membership. In November, 1858, Rev. NVilliaiii 
Stryker came and served until the following spriii; 




<SX-tEIXIIIIXXlltllltlLI 



II II 1 imxxxxrrKTnxxtxxxxxtr 




530 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 





In 1861 Rev. H. A. Barcla.y supplied the pulpit. 
Next came Rev. Silas .Tohnson. «ho served the 
church as supplj' from .January, 1862. until Febru- 
ary. 1865, and as pastor frf)m that time until March, 
1867, when he resigned. During his ministry 125 
persons united with the church. Rev. D. H. Mitch- 
ell next served a.s pastor, from September, 1867, 
until March. 18G9, there being fifteen additions in 
that time. Rev. S. C. McCune succeeded Mr. 
Mitchell, and served until April, 1873. In Novem- 
ber, 1873, Rev. H. S. Snodgrass came and served 
as pastor until April, 1878. The church was then 

without a p.astor until May, 1879, when Rev. J. M. 

h ^ Baugh was called and entered upon the work, and 

f /^plL ygt serves as pastor. During this time the new 
church has been erected, and the membership has 
been awakened to renewed efforts for wc>rk in the 
Master's cause. On the church mils there are the 
names of about 300 members, many of whom have 
moved away and have not called for letters. There 
are about 150 active members residing in the 
city or in the vicinity of Oskaloosa. 

Church of Christ. Tiie Church of Christ was 
organized by Elder H. H. Hendryx, March 25, 
1846, with thirty members. Josepii B. Royal and 
Matthew Edmundson were chosen Elders. Mr. 
Royal is now and has l)een for many j-ears an ac- 
ceptable minister of the Gospel in Illinois. The 
church has had a fairly prosperous condition, gen- 
erally with quite a large membership. The finan- 

"W^ cial necessities of the college have drawn pretty 
"-■■ h: heavily upon its membership from time to time, 
but they have usually " given of their abundance as 
the Lord has prospered them." The Sunday-school 
has been a prominent and successful feature of the 
work of this church. 

Among those who have ministered to this church, 
either as regular pastor or supply, are H. H. Hen- 
^ dryx, A. Chatterton, J. B. Noe, N. E. Corj^ W. J. 
Carpenter, G. T. Carpenter, N. A. McConnell. W. 
R. Cowley, John Crocker, A. Hickcy, B. W. John- 
son, D. R. Dungan, N. Dunshee, G. H. Laughlin, 
E. Goodwin, R. H. Johnson, J. A. Beattie and A. 
Wg g yi. Haggard. The last is the present efficient pas- 
tor, who is doing an excellent vvoi'k. The member- 
ship is about 300. Manoah Hedge is Superintend- 
ent of the Suuday-school. 



% % 



:i 



1^ 





1 



The First United Presbyterian Church was organ 
ized June 17, 1849, by Rev. J. C. Porter, under fe} 
the name of the First Associate Reformed Presby- |j} 
terian Church, of Oskaloosa. In the fall of 1858, 
after the union of the Associate and the Associate 
Reformed Presbyterian Churches of the United 
States, under the name of the United Presbyterian 
Church, the Oskaloosa Church accepted the name, 
and became the First United Presbyterian Church |:ri 
of Oskaloosa. Rev. Mr. Fee was the first pastor »Pi 
of the church, beginning his labors in 1853. In ;4i 
1853 while he was pastor, a house of worship was :ih 
erected, the second in Oskaloosa. In 1854 Mr. zw 

jr. \ 

Fee resigned, and the church was without a pastor s^i 

till June, 1856. wiien Rev. R. A. McAyeal was Im 

3-1 
called, and served the church with great ability 

and profit for twenty-two years. He was succeeded 
by Rev. AV. A. .Spaulding, who remained two years. ::k 
Next came Rev. .J. C. Calhoun, who remained a t-n 
little over one year. In May. 1884, Rev. O. S. Ka 
Morrow came, and is still serving as pastor. The fji 
present memljei'sliip of the church is 120, and it is BJi 
in good spiritual condition, contributing liberally sn 
to all the various missionary and other purpo.ses. i: 
A parsonage has been built in the past 3'ear, and %\ 
the churcli is practically out of debt, paying its gj 
pastor promptly. Mr. Morrow keeps a record of JSi 
attendance of all members, so that he knows ex- 
actly' who are faithful and who are not. 

Baptist. The First Baptist Church of Oskaloosa 
was organized in December. 1855, with a member- 
ship of but five persons, and until the spring of 
1856 had no regular preaching, when Rev. J. F. 
Childs was called to the pastorate, and served 
eleven years, during which time a house of wor- 
ship was erected. This house was sold in 1882, 
and the Presbyterian Church edifice purchased. 
The last building is in a much better location, and 
the church is now in a very prosperous state. 

St. James Episcopal Church. The parish was or- 
ganized Maj' 27, 1855, by Rev. E. W. Peet. Serv- 
ices were for a long time held in Union Hall, but g 
in 1869 a church building and rectory were erected, 
and the cause was placed on a better footing. 
Since that day several rectors have officiated. In 
March, 1885, Rev. Allen Judd commenced his p 
labors here, and has met with very gratifying sac- J 



ii 



"- 1 ', itirn Allium HriiiirTrrt%iii rfTTll U^ 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



531 



ai,;: 
■1:: 

1 c 

I- 
\ 

V 

1 

1 

1 






1^1^: 



1 = 



5: = 



li c 



cess. There are now forty-five comnimiie.nnts. 
twent_v-two of whom have come in under Mr. 
Judd's ministration. 

The Catholic Church in Oskaluusa dates its ex- 
istence from 186.'). when Rev. Father .Shanniian 
gathered the few adherents togetiier who were of 
that faith, bongiit ;i luiilding for a churcli. and held 
regular services. At that time there were but 
about thirty families in the parish. In their first 
house they continued to worship until 1880, when 
their jiresent neat church edifice was erected, at a 
cost of $4,000. At this time the present pastor. 
Rev. M. O'CarroU, was in charge, and to him the 
people are indebted for the church building the}' 
now occupy. Among the priests who have been in 
charge of the parish were Revs. McCabe, C'labbj', 
Harding, Malone. Gaffenj'. Feeley, and O'CarroU. 
Under the ministration of Father JIaloue, the par- 
sonage was built. (Since 1880 the congregation has 
lieen increased more than half, and now numbers 
over 100 families, with a total of 600 persons. 
This is certainly a good showing, and proves that 
Father O'CarroU has been faithful to his trust, and 
has labored hard and" elliciently. The church is a 
neat brick structure, and is well furnished. 

SOCIETIES. 

^5^ SKALOOSA is well represented with the vari- 
l( Jjj ous secret and benevolent societies, each in 
'^^7 their way trying to do what good they can 
for their fellow-men. 

Masonic. Tri-Luminar Lodge No. 18, A. F. & 
A. M., was organized under dispensation Jan. 16, 
1849, and received its charter from the Grand 
Lodge .lune 7 of the same ye.ar. In December, 
1 854, several of its members applied for and ob- 
tained a dispensation to organize a new lodge, 
which w.as organized, and June 6, 185.5, received 
its charter as Seevers Lodge No. 54, A. F. & A. M. 
The two lodges worked harmoniously and prospered 
well until January, 186.'!, when on account of the 
loss of many of its members by enlistments in the 
army, or rather their withdrawal from active work 
on that .account, Seevers Lodge surrendered its 
charter, and its members returned to the parent 
lodge. 

On account of feeling growing out of the war. 



3i:. 



it was thought best to again divide, accordingl3- in 
.\pril, 186(i, a dispensation was granted to organize 
another lodge, and Amity Lodge No. 186 cann 
into existence, receiving its charter in June follow- 
ing. After eight years' work Aniit3' surrendered 
its charter, and again all Masons in Oskaloosa were 
united in Tri-Luminar Lodge. After occupyini; 
several buihlings. and wishing a home of their own, 
the various Masonic bodies of the cit}-, including 
Blue Lodge, Chapter and Commandery, united in 
building the third story of a building on south 
side of the square, 40x80 feet, into which all moved. 
This was in 18()6, On the 20th day of January 
187:J, the building, with its entire contents, was 
destroyed by fire, the lodge suffering a net loss of 
^56,500. After living in rented halls for some years, 
the JLasonic h;dl and opei'a house was erected and 
occupied. lUit once more the fire fiend came, .and 
Dec. 22, 1886, the hall was bnincd, the order losing 
heavilj'. 

A chapter of R. A. .M. was organized Nov. 1,5, 
1854, under dispensation, and a charter granted in 
June, 1855, under the name of Hiram Chapter No. 
6. The chapter h;is had a very successful career. 

De Payens Commander^- No. 6, Knights Temp- 
Lar, was organized under dispensation Dec. 1, 1865, 
and June 2, 1X66, a charter was granted by the 
Grand Commandery. It lias had a very prosperous 
existence, with a large membership, not only of the 
best citizens of Oskaloosa, but ni.nny from neigh- 
boring towns. 

Odd Fellows. The Inde|)endent Order of Odd 
Fellows is a strong organization in this place. Ma- 
haska Lodge No. 16, was one of the first organized 
in the State, the date of its organization being July 
11, 1848. William^. .Seevers was its first Noble 
Grand. It has had in the main a prosperous career, 
witli a present membership of 162. In 1S60 Com- 
mercial Lodge No. Pis was organized, which has 
now a membership of 110, or a total for tlie two 
lodges i)f 262. An encampment luider the nam6 
of Oskaloosa Kncampnient No. 15, I. O. O. F., 
was instituted June 28, 1854. It has a present 
membership of seventj'-five. 

G. A. li. The veterans of the late war have a 
fine organization, known as Phil Kearney Post No. 
40, G. A. R.. which was instituted May 13, lfi81, 



1 



a 



11 



\ 



Ya 



'M" 





Km 



m m 






532 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 




by A. B. Hnzeltine, of Des Moines, with fourteen 
charter members, anfl C. P. Searle, Commander. 
Since its organization the post has done a good 
worl^ in this citj'. It has a committee to look after 
the poor, and its timely relief has been a blessing 
to more than one family. The services on Decora- 
tion Day are directed by this post, which never fails 
to remember departed comrades, strewing upon 
their graves beautiful flowers, and letting fall the 
tears of regret. The post is a flourishing one, with 
an enrollment of lU members. The Commanders 
have each served one year, and in order were, C. 
P. Searle, Robert Kissick. F. II. Loring, C. Wood- 
ruff, .John N. Martin and D. F. Nichols. Two 
deaths have occurred among its membership. The 
present Commander is D. F. Nichols. 

L. of H. The Legion of Honor is represented in 
this city by Banner Lodge No. 57. taking its name 
from the fact that on its organization, in January, 
1880, it had an enrollment of 107 members, thus 
making it truly the banner lodge of the order. Its 
first President was .lohn Lofland, while T. H. Green 
was the first Secretary. A. P. Spencer was the Presi- 
dent in July, IiS86, with J. C. Ferrall, Secretary. 
Death has taken three members of the lodge, S. B. 
Waters, Samuel Wilson and H. II. Gay. At pres- 
ent there are ninety-two members in good stand- 
ing. 

A. O. U. W. Oskaloosa Lodge No. 152, A. O. 
U. W., was organized by J. M. Stinson, Deputy G. 
M. W., in March, 1878, with thirt_v-two charter 
members. It now numbers fort^'-seven, having 
lost two by death— Horace W. Fisher, who died 
Dec. 6. 1882, and Z. T. Kalbach, who died Dec. 25, 
1 880. This lodge was one of the first to protest 
against the action of the Supreme Lodge with ref- 
erence to assessment for death losses in other 
States, and was among the number secednig and 
forming the State Lodge. Its first Master Work- 
man was B. V. Seevers: its present Master Work- 
man is W. H. Shaw. Its first Recorder was H. L. 
Briggs, while M. B. Bristol now occupies that po- 
sition. 

Sons of Veterans. Samuel A. Rice Post No. 48, 
Sons of Veterans, was organized in October, 1885, 
with eighteen charter members, which have since 
been increased to thii-t}-. James A. Rice was 



r aE 



elected its first Captain; M. D. Gilchrist, First 
"Ivieutenant; O. H. Avery, Second Lieutenant. At 
the annual meeting the officers were .tU re-elected. 
Considerable interest is being mnnife>ted in the or- 
der by all entitled to membership, and it is des- 
tined to do great good in inculcating patriotism 
and l)rotherl\' love. 

The Modern Woodmen, Independent Order of 
Red Men, Knights of the Golden Eagle and Good 
Templars are also represented. 

Militia. Company F, 3d Regiment, I. N. G., vvas 
organized Aug. 11, 1884, with John N. Martin, 
Captain; Frank S. Stone, First Lieutenant: W. W. 
Douglas, Second Lieutenant; James M. Bateman, 
Orderly Sergeant, and fifty-five enlisted men. The 
company meant bnsiness from the start, and deter- 
mined not to be content with being second to an.y 
other company in the State. Beginning drill, they 
so far mastered it, that at the first regimental en- 
campment, held at Newton, in the summer of 1885, 
they took second raonej'. The company also at- 
tended a celebration of Independence Day, at Ot- 
turnwa, where thcj' again took second money, for 
proficiency of drill. In addition to the uniform fur- 
nished by the State, the company, in the summer 
of 188G, purchased handsome uniforms for all offi- 
cers and men, costing §700. They have a hand- 
some silk flag worth $95. Their armory on High 
street is fixed up in an elegant manner, and is pro- 
vided with one of the handsomest cases for the 
guns to be seen anywhere, the workmanship of Le- 
roy Dutton. The company reflect credit upon the 
city of Oskaloosa. 

BANKING. 

The first lianking house in Oskaloiisa was opened 
March 1, 1855, by W. T. Smith and M. T. Will- 
iams, under the firm name of Smith is, Williams. 
The latter remained about two 3ears, sold out, and 
in 1858 the l)usiness was transferred to the Oska- 
loosa branch of the State Bank of Iowa. A short 
time after Smith & Williams opened up. John 
White (fe Co. commenced the lianking business, 
which they ran a few months, and then sold t<> 
W. H. Seevers & Co., who ran until 1857, when 
they retired from the business. John White & Co. 
immediately re-opened, but voluntarily quit busi- 




. rUrrntiij Ugxrii - 



££S 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



533 



ness oil the organization of the Oskaloosa branch 
of tlie State Hank. Mr. White heconiing President 
of the latter, while William T. .Smith was made 
Cashier. In ISCi.t this hank was changed to the 
National State Bank of Oskaloosa. 

The First National Bank of Oskaloosa was or- 
ganized Jan. 1, 1M(;4. and went into voliintarv liq- 
uidation in ls(;,s. 

At present there are four good banks in the eity 
— the Oskaloosa National, the Mahaska County 
Bank, the Farmer's and Trader's National, and the 
piivate bank of Frankel. Bach & Co. 

Tlie Oskaloosa National Bank is tlie outgrowth 
of the Mahaska County Savings Bank, which was 
established in the year 187."), and which contin- 
ued to do business until it was re-orgauized under 
its present name, with a paid up capital of i!!.')0, 000. 
Ezekiel Clark was its first President, and W. A. 
Lindley, Casiiier. The latter continued as Cashier 
until yiay, 18«t5, when C. E. Lotland was chosen to 
fill the position. M. E. Cutts succeeded Mr. Clark 
as President. II. L. S|)encer at present occupies 
that position. The hank has done a very success- 
ful business since its organization, and has a large 
line of deposits. Its officers are pleasant and ac- 
commodating. The bank is situated on the north- 
west corner of the square, in a building erected in 
187(;, when it was known as the Mahaska County 
Savings Bank. 

The Maha.ska County Bank was organized in 
June, 1883, with a capital stock of *.iO,000, which 
was increased Feb. 1, 1884, to $100,000. Its first 
and present oflScers are : J. A. L. Crookliani, Presi- 
dent; II. S. Howard, Vice President; John R. 
Barnes, Cashier. The bank is organized under the 
[ State laws, its stockholders being liable for double 
; the capital stock. It is doing a safe and satisfac- 
j tory business, numbering among its patrons some 

of the best business men in Oskaloosa. 
i The Farmer's and Trader's Bank w.os organized 
I in December, 1877, and is the outgrowth of the 
I private bank of Gibbs Bros. In 1883 it was 
I changed to the Farmer's and Trader's National 
Bank. 

The private bank of Frankel, Bach A' Co. com- 
menced business in 1873. In 1876 the firm erected 
its present bank building, in which they have one 



of the largest vaults in the State. The bank is oiu- 
of the strongest in this section, its owners being 
large holders of real estate, and men of wealth and 
enterprise. 

GAS WORKS. 

P'roni the dip to the tallow candle, then to the 
kerosene laini), and next the gas, each an iini)rovi - 
incut upon the other as an illuminating power, wa? 
the order of develoiHiient in this line. In 1872 
the question of having gas was agitated, and a 
company organized and incorporated with a capital 
stock of *G0,00O. J. L. Pinkerton was the first 
President and Superintendent; D. W. Hunt, Secre- 
tary; C. P. Searle, Treasurer. A building for the 
manufacture of gas was erected in the southwest 
[)art of town, about three miles of main laid 
through the principal residence and business streets 
of the city, and in December, 1873, Oskaloosa was 
first lit up with gas. which was manufactured from 
crude petri>leuni. 

The manufacture of ga? from petroleum not 
proving satisfactory after the expiration of three 
years, the entire works were rebuilt, the wooden 
mains taken up and repl.aced with iron, and coal 
used for making gas. For the first year there were 
less than 10(i consumers, while at present there are 
about 4(10. The company have now about six 
miles of main, and, .in addition to the private con- 
sumers, furnish for the city seventy-two lamps on 
the >trect corners. On account of ill-health Mr. 
Pinkerton had to resign the superintendeney of the 
works at the end of the first year. He was suc- 
ceeded liy D. W. Hunt, who served until Jan. 1. 
1884. when he was succeeded by William Bowen, 
the present etticient Superintendent. The capital 
stock j-et remains at $60,000, but the stock of the 
company is not in the market, as holders do not 
care to sell. 

ELECTIUC LIOHT. 

In the winter of 1883-84 the Oskaloosa Gas 
Company secured a permit from the City Council 
for the stringing of wires and lighting the city by 
electricity, using the Ft. Wayne Jenne}' Arc Light 
system. They leased power from the Oskaloosa 
Power Company, which they used for about eight- 
een months, and then secured a building north of 
Exchange Block, put in improved machinery, and 



£:HH^g 



^FcV 



wm 




"^ 



Tiiimnxixxi 






11 



^- 






n,' ru 



n 



i 



■ IL 

h 

[EL.;- 



''j~ 



^! 






?T1 



S.<UT!\ 



534 




MAHASKA COUNTY 



manufactured their own power. They made a 
contract with tiie city for lighting the business por- 
tions of the place, and have six lights in operation. 
f About twenty -five private consumers use the light, 
which is unsurpassed. 

The same company are now operating an in- 
candescent electric light in this city, while another 
^W companj- oi>erate also iu like manner, thus supply- 
ing the cit3' with good, chcaii light. 

WATER WOHKS. 

The credit for the present system of water works 
is probably due more to D. \\ . Hunt than to any 

f-jff- other person. For some years he had agitated the 
B subject and corresponded with tlifferent persons 
and firms interested in water works and systems of 
water works. In the fall of IsTl) the Holly Com- 
pany, on the request of ^Mr. Hunt, sent a gentleman 
here to investigate the feasibility of putting in their 



ill 
m 
m 



n 
n 




I 

\^M system of works in this city. On his making a 

SH favorable report, a company was organized with 
— i the following-named incorporators : M. T. Williams, 
C. P. Searle. E. H. Gibbs, G. W. Hale. William 
Loughridge, W. A. Lindley. E. Bach, Mitchel Wil- 

Ison, T. K. .Smith. H. L. Si)encer and Samuel Hal- 
dauf. .Shares were placed at 820 each, and the 
capital stock was placed at §150,000. The follow- 
ing-named officers were then chosen: ^\"llli.^nl 
Loughridge, President : John -Siebel, Vice Presi- 
dent: 1. Frankcl, Treasurer; D. W. Hunt, Secre- 
tary. A franchise was granted, and on the 25th 
of October, 1879, a contract was made with the 
Holly Company for putting in operation the works. 
Eight miles of main were at once laid, to which 
one mile has since been added. The works were 
completed and final test made Aug. 10, 1880, at 
which time a two-inch stream of water was thrown 
eighty feet high. The water supply is obtained 
from the Skunk River, about four miles from the 
city. One of Holly's complex compound engines 
is used, and also a duplex pumping engine. The 
capacity of the works is 2,500,000 gallons per day, 
and at present there are used about 500,000. D. W. 
Hunt was appointed by the company superintendent 
of construction, and on the completion of the 
works was made Superintendent, acting in that ca- 
pacit3' for about three and a half years, when he re- 
signed, and William Boweu was appointed and is 





now serving in an acceptable manner. There are 
now about 300 consumers of the water supplied by 
this company. 

IXSURAXCE. 

The Iowa Life and Endowment Association of 
Oskaloosa, a mutual life insurance society, was or- 
ganized in February'. 1882, under the .State laws of 
Iowa. Its incorporators were composed of some 
of the best men of the city. It has had a fair busi- 
ness, having issued some 1,GOO policies. The of- 
fices of the company are iu Exchange Block. Its 
President is C. P. Searle. 

The Iowa Masons' Benevolent Societj' also has 
its headquarters at Oskaloosa. It was organized in 
1878, and has had a very prosperous business, report- 
ing at its ninth annual meeting a membership in the 
first division of ii,06;3, and in the second division 
l,'J7!i. In the first division there had been 143 deaths 
in eight years, or 0.6 per 1,000. In the second di- 
vision there had been 41 deaths in six years, or 6.6 
per 1.000. Its President is John Siebel. 

LIBRARY. 

The Masonic Library Association is dul}' incor- 
porated under the State laws of Iowa. It origin- 
ated in Tri-Luminar Lodge, A. F. & A. M., and 
was organized Jan. 1, 1885, having at that time 
1,000 volumes of books. The number has since 
been increased to 2,500. The library is open 
each Saturday from 2 to 5 P. M. and is free to all, 
though onl3' its members can take books from the 
room. The present membership is 200. A mem- 
bership fee of ¥1 entitles the holder to one book 
per week. About 100 volumes are drawn out per 
week on an average. The officers of the associa- 
tion are D. A. Hoffman, President; E. Baker, Vice 
President; Frank D. Boyer, Treasurer; Mrs. Mary 
Lafferty, Librarian. 

In the great fire that destro^'ed the Opera House, 
Dec. 22, 1886, the library was also burned, save a 
few volumes. The .association at once opened out 
on the north side of the square, and hope in due 
time to gather together even a better library than 
the old one. 

TILING. 

It has been but a few years since tiling came 
into general use in this country, though its advan- 
tages had long been conceded by those giving it 








n-p^^s^ 



1-= 

n 

I.: 

I : 



f^^^^l 



g5Ea 




?^w>' 



7?^3S 



-1.'" 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



536 



¥ 

lis 

1^ 

i;5 

IJC 

i:s 
i:s 
1:1: 
l.-S 

i;,: 
1 

l; 

13 
!;■ 

i;; 
i: 
1.' 
1 

1: 

1. 

i: 
I- 
1 

i: 

i- 

Ur, 



;t 



special thought. At present there are two facto- 
ries ill this city. 

The Oskaloosa Tile Factory «as first established 
as a lirick-yard in 187() hy .lohii Long. In 1882 
Oliver Crawford purchased the plant, and in 1883 
converted it into a tile factorj', though still manu- 
facturing a few brick. He makes tile three to six 
inches in diameter, iiiid manufactures G(M),000 to 
800,000 feet- per year. 

The Oskaloosa City lirick and Tile Works were 
established in 1881 bj' Long ife Son, who had pre- 
viously been engaged in brick manufacturing in this 
city, and who had manufactured some tiling, in re- 
ality the first in Mahaska County. They now have 
three kilns of 20,000 e.ach, and can turn out 10,000 
bricks per day. The tiling manufacliircd is of a su- 
perior quality, and a ready sale is found for it in Ma- 
haska County. The senior member of the firm has 
had an experience of sixty years in the manufact- 
ure of brick and tile. 

OTHKU MANLK.iCTORIKS. 

The Oskaloosa Tanning Compan_v was established 
in 1880, with U. W. McNeill, President; \V. T. 
Phillips, Secretary', and .Samuel Middour, Superin- 
tendent. The business had been started a short 
time previous by George Iluggins and others. In 
March, lfi8'), the buildings burned, and the plant 
was removed to the Power House. About thirty 
persons are employed by the companj-, which is 
now one of the leading industries of the city. A 
patent process is used in the tanning of leather. 
Mr. Middour, who has charge of the concern, is a 
practical tanner, of many years' experience, and un- 



der his supervision the company turns out a qual- 
ity of leather which cannot be excelled in the 
country. The capital stock of the company is 
*.')0,000, and the sales amount to ?75,000 annually. 
One salesman is cmplojcd upon the road. 

The Oskaloosa Oat Mill was brought here from 
Skunk River by John H. Warren, who formed a 
company composed of some of the leading men in 
the city to operate it. John Zcar, a practical mil- 
ler, has charge of it. The capacity of the mill is fifty 
barrels per twelve hours. The meal manufactured 
here stands at the head. In addition to those 
nienlioned there are several others which do a large 
business. 

FIKE DEPARTiMENT. 

Oskaloosa has for many years had a well organ- 
ized fire dopartmeiit, which has been able to suc- 
cessfully cope with near]}- all fires. 

The worst fire the city ever experienced was on 
the morning of Dec. 22, 188G, when a fire broke 
out in Baura's restaurant, which rapidly extended, 
and in a few short hours the Times block, in which 
was the post-otRce, Charles Ralston, newsdealer, 
the Times office and Baum's restaurant; Fagan <fe 
Klein's building, occupied b3- B. S. Ilenrj- as a fur- 
niture store, and the Masonic Opera House and 
hall were in ruins, causing a loss of §60,000, about 
one-third of which was covered by insurance. The 
fire department fought heroicallj-, but in vain, 
to stay the flames, on account of difficulty exper- 
euced in getting water. E. H. Gibbs and Mr. Fa- 
gan went to work at once to re-build, and in sixty 
d.ays had ever^^thiug in readiness for busiuess. 










i^!f^s:n 



536 




cDUtniirix 



ITTIl "'"''"""^ 



"iTTirjTTTTriimxtxziJr 



j-nrt*twiw\Tr | 






MAHASKA COUNTY. 



i'X 











OOP 




ADAMS TOWNSHIP. 

HIS township comprises all of township 76, 
range 15 west, lying north of the Skunk 
River, and aside from that portion border- 
ing on the river, is one of the finest borders of land 
in the county, being very fertile, and rolling 
enough to afford good natural drainage. The soil 
is a rich sandy loam, well adapted for farming 
purposes. Here are to be found some of the best 
farms in the count}', as well as some of the largest. 
Among the large land-owners are Gideon Daugh- 
herty, William Vermilyea, Aden McDonough, Joel 
Briney, A. Rub}', Adam Victur and the McLands- 
boroughs, all of whom are among the early set- 
tlers. 

For some years after the settlement of the 
county, Adams Township formed a part of Monroe, 
but was detached many years agci. Matthew P. 
Ciowder, it is said, furnished the house in which 
the first school was taught, and he was the first to 
hold the olHce of .Justice of the Peace in the town- 
ship. There are eight school-bouses, all being of 
frame and substantially built. These are sufficient 
to supply tlie demand, as the township is not as 
populous as some others, there being so many 
large farms. 

Lacey is a small village situated on section 7, 
Adams, and section 12, Madison Township, on the 
line of the Central Iowa Railroad. It is about eight 
miles north of Oskaloosa, and is a good shipping 
point for the farmers in the neighborhood. At 
present there are two general stores, a shoemaker, 



and one church in the place, which has a popula- 
tion of about 100. J. W. McKinley is Post- 
master. 

BLACK OAK TOWNSHIP. 



N August, 1843, township 2\o. 7(J north, range 
17 west, was surveyed, though the section 

The latter were 



afterward Governor of k| 



V^ 




_ lines were not run until 1845. 

run by W. L. D. Ewing, 

the State of Illinois. This comprises the civil 

township of Black Oak, a name applied to a small 

grove on sections 8, 9 and 16, at an early day, and m 

which was well known to the settlers generally. "j;n 

Black Oak Township is mostly prairie land of an s^ [ 

excellent quality, and is well watered by the Skunk Sr ^ 

River, Black Oak and Muchachinock Creeks. Among ^ 

the earlv settlers were Rev. James L. Warren, Jfi 

William Owens. William, Jacob and John Majors, cih 

Richard Quinton, John Randall, Johu Shoemake, h\ 

G^ I 
Wesley Moreland and Jacob Miller, the descendants afu 

of some of them yet living in the county. C. Chip- ah 

man is said to have taught the first school in the :ii 

township, while Rev. Mr. Warren has the credit of all 

holding the first religious services. For some years gii 

past the Hollanders have been coming into the api 

township, and at present almost control it. Among pi 

the more prominent and representative men of the 

township are John Voorhees, John Funston. John 

H. Smith, Madison Tice, L. D. Price and David L. 

Brown. Two of the finest residences in the county 






n?^ "^ ;- ■' ;-' =r=r(,-l 



rj'^a^rrrrrci 



fcil ih It 



: are owned and situated upon the farms of John 
; Voorhees and John H. Smith. Heing upon the 
i&j main road from O-skaloosa to I'clia, they attract tlie 
attention of all who drive upon that thoroughfare. 
The C. R. I. lir \'. H. H. enters the township upon 
section tio, and running diagonally through it, 
passes out from section 18. 

The village of Leighton is located on tlu' C. K. 
I. (k P. R. R. on section :in. It wjis laid out Feb. 
9. 1865, 113- John W. Carver and William Leighton. 
For some cause, the village h:is never made much 
progress with respect to the nnmlier of its inhabit- 
i; ants, though a very good shipping and trading 
: l^iiiiit. [ts present population is estimated !it 1.50, and 
V: it has tiiree general stores, drug-store, harness-shop, 
^:z hlacksmith-shoi), agricultural implement warehouse 
l:?t and shoeshop. The village presents a neat and at- 
J 5 tractive appearance, and is surrounded by lincagri- 




MAIIASKA COUNTY. 



- fidtural country. Two churches furnish religious 
iii>truetion to the people. C. L. Koller is Post- 



\- 



master. 



CEDAR TOWNSHIP. 

/^ EDAR TOWNSHIP lies in the southeast cor- 

I ner of the county, and is bounded on the e.ist 

hi;;? ^^^(' by Keokuk County, on the west by Harrison 

i;'| Township, on the north by White Oak Township, 

and on the south by Wapello County. It coin- 

il prises congressional township 74 north, range 14 

west, of the oth principal meridian, and is a fine 

lilE body of land, gently rolling in almost ever^' part, 

i^i^ the soil being of the best cpialit}'. Cedar Creek 

I I crosses the soutinvestern part of the township in a 

ijE southwesterly direction. The Oskaloosa branch of 

c the Central low.-i, and the Burlington and North- 

r western Railways pass through the townshi|), af- 

E fording e.xeellent facilities for the transportation 

|c of all produce. The township dates its settlement 

^E from the tir»t, it being remembered there was no 

one near who could claim to be the first settler of 

Mahaska County, for the name of the first settlers 

was legion. The scliool-honse and the church were 

almost contemporaneou? with the first ycttlenient 

of the township, the first school-house being erected 

in 184G on the farm of Samuel .MuFall, and his 

nephew, Joseph .McFall, Uiughl the first term of 



school therein. The Methodists are in a numerical 
majority, having three church buildings in the 
township. Among the representative men of this 
township are G. B. McPall. R. H. Sigafoos, J. S. 
McClain, David McKall, W. K. t^uarton, J. M. 
Russell, H. V. Sheets, Ira Barr ami Joseph Craft. 
Fr«'iiK»iit. 
^RI'^.Mt)^! is one of the oldest villages in 
Mahaska County, though its present appear- 
/1\, ance would indicate that it was a new one. 

It was hdd out in l!S4x by William Morrow, and 
named in honor of the " Great Pathfinder." Gen. 
John C. Fremont, afterward the first candidate for 
the presidency on the Republican ticket. The first 
dwelling-house was erected by .Mr. Morrow, who 
also built the first stoi-e liuilding, in which he 
oi)ened out a stock of general merchandise. Until 
lailroads began to be extensively built in the State, 
Fremont was quite an important town, being upon 
the main line of travel, on what is known as the 
" divide." Its post-otHee was also estiiblished in 
1848, with William Jlorrow as Postm.a,<ter. For 
many years Fremont was " left out in the cold," 
railroads giving it the " go l»y." At present it has 
two roads through the vill.'ige, the t>skaloosa branch 
of the Central Iowa, and the Burlington A- ^\■estenl. 
Since these roads were built the place has taken a 
fresh stitrt, and while it has had no rapid increase 
in population, new houses have been erected, old 
ones repaired, and the town now pi'esents a very 
attractive appearance, while a fair Inisiness is trans- 
acted by its business men. There were in the fall 
of 188G, two general stores, one hardware, one 
drug, and one furniture store, two hotels, one livery, 
one tile factory, one live-stock firm, three phj'si- 
cians, several harness-makers, wagon-makers and 
blacksmiths. Three churches — Baptist, Christian 
and -Methodist Episcopal — gave spiritual light to 
all around, while a good gi-aded school furnished 
educational advantages to the young. 




EAST DKS MOINES TOWNSHIP. 

HIS is one of the latest organized townships 
in the county, dating its organization in 
188.'). Notwithstanding this, it is one nf 
the oldest In point of ^ettll•nlenl in the county 















liip 



m 






h 



! 



iHi 



i 




"^ .. 




iilxijLmi 



rrxxtxxi mxxTuxx iTTixx raxu " 



538 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



Bg 



w 



m 
m 



Even before the Indian title was extinguished, Maj- 
1, 1843, a few adventurous persons slipped, or ob- 
tained permission to pass through the lines, and en- 
ter the promised land. Among those was Harrj' 
Brewer, _yet an honored citizen of the to-wnship. 
His companions were Ephraira Munsell. Philip 
Schuyler, Harvey Case. Isaac De AVitt and Mr. 
Scribner. The best lands were soon taken up, and 
in a short time after tlie ever memorable 1st day 
of May, 1843, a large settlement was formed along 
the Des Moines River. Sometime during the fol- 

|:;=n lowing year, the first school in the township was 
held. In its undivided state Des Moines was 
created a township in 1845. 

There are in the township several very fine farms, 
though much of the land is broken, and probably 
all underlaid with coal. Among the leading citi- 
zens who are now residing here may be men- 
tioned Harry Brewer, George W. Brewer, W. J. 
jg- McFall. J. B. Mobley, L. R. Thompson and L. 1). 
|H^ Williams. Within its borders are two villages. 
Given and Muchachinock, the latter being a min- 
ing village exclusively. A good part of Excelsior 
also lies' in this townsiiip. In fact it is hard to tell 

D ] where one village leaves off and the other begins, 

J— =Sp there being a row of houses almost from Oskaloosa 

\fiM to Muchachinock, about six miles. 

I! i n li 

M 

!li I 

I ill! 



I 
I 
I 

m 



C 




11 




Giveu. 

IVEN was laid out in 1870, by Harry Brewer, 
and at present on the line of the C, R. I. 
& P. and C. I. Railroads. The station of 
the first-named road was located here in 1871. 
The first store was built by Harry Brewer, and is 
now run by his son, George W. Brewer. This is 
the only general store in the place, but there is one 
drug-store, a grocery store and meat-market in the 
place. There is also one church, and an Odd Fel- 
low's Lodge, which is in a flourishing condition. G. 
W. Brewer is Postmaster, and has been for some 
years. 

Mnchachlnock. 



neighborhood began to be developed about the 
time of the completion of the Central Iowa Rail- 
road. In 1872 a switch was laid up the creek from 
Given station bj' the Central Iowa Company, since 
which time the village has constantly' grown and 
the mines developed, until there is at present a 
population of about 2,000. the greater number of 
whom are colored persons. The village took its 
name from the creek, which is of Indian origin, 
signifying muddy water. 

The main part of the village is located upon sec- 
tions 13 and 24, and here, in 1884, the Chicago & 
Northwestern Railroad Ci>nipan3' extended its 
track from Belle Plaine, and built a depot. Around 
this depot quite a business has s]nung up. which 
now includes one general store, two drug-stores, 
one meat-shop, one barber shop, four restaurants, 
two hotels, four churches and thiee school-houses. 
The churches are the Swedish Lutheran, Swedish 
Methodist, Colored Methodist and Colored Bap- 
tist, each of which have regular pastors, no one 
paying for ministerial services less than $000 per 
year. The Welsh had a Congregational Church 
here at one time, but it has ceased to exist. 

WEST DES MOINES TOWNSHIP. 

iHlS township comprises all of township 74 
north, range 10 west, lying west and south 
of the Des Moines River. Its settlement 
and history are connected with that of East Des 
Moines. There is neither vill.age nor railroad with- 
in its borders. 




^-vw ..%^j2j2j^7^5-|@^-| 



> >*'^^Si^Z^2r?^»v* '\•^x^ - 



i^^^HIS unincorporated mining village stretches 
m(^^ along the JIuchachinock Creek for two 
^^^' or three miles, the greater part of it l^ing 
jBHW in East Des Moines Township, though extending 
I Qfa; over the line into Harrison. The mines in this 

IP 
I 



'a 
■fi 
:,T. 

-n. 






GAKFIELI> TOWNSHIP. 

i^^^HE history of this township, which comprises 
ifl^^^ all of township 71 north, range 10 west, 
^^^y of the 5th principal meridian, save a few 
sections on the east which form a part of Oskaloosa, 
is associated with that of Oskaloosa. Until 1882 
what is now Spring Creek, Oskaloosa and Garfield 
formed one township. The northern half of Gar- 
field is Hue [frairie laud, sufficient)}' rolling to give 




it a good natural drainage. The southern part is 
very uneven, but all underlaid with coal, which 
makes it verv vnluahle. In this township are some 
of the best farms in Mahaska County, which are 
operated bj' men who make farming a profession, 
and who are not slaves to the farm, but make the 
farm their servant. In addition to general fai'ming 
much attention is given to stock-raising. 

Among the prominent men of the township may 
; be mentioned the Prines, S. L. Pomeroy, Thomas 
C. Beach, R. II. .lohnson, A. J. Lytle and John R. 
: Pilgrim. The educational interests of the town- 
: ship .are carefully guarded, the schools being among 
; the best. There are now nine good school build- 
V : ings in it, with one graded school at Beacon, which 
: has graduated a number who are now filling im- 
3 portant positions in various parts of the country. 
: All in all, Garfield, like the man in whose honor it 
is named, is a model township. 









Besicou. 



V : 



HE village of Beacon is situated upon section 

27, and was laid out in 1M()4, under the 

name of Enterprise, a post-oflice there be- 

y' : ing established under that name. On the comple- 

: tion of the Kec>kuk it Des Moines Railroad, the 

; station was given the name of Oskaloosa by the 

i^:| rfiilroad company. The name of the town was, 

L! however, soon changed to Beacon. The vill.age is 

:g about two and a half miles southwest of Oskaloosa, 
!H 5 and although for some time it h.ad a railro.ad, 
■|| : while Oskaloosa had none, it yet never became 
i}] : a rival of the latter place, as its projectors fondlj' 
|}j I hoped. 
fjj ; Surrounded as it is by a fine coal country. Bea- 

: con may proiJerly be termed a mining town, its in- 
. : Iiabitants being ]>rincipally tliosc engaged in inin- 
^ ; ing, together with llieir families. The i)i>pulati(>n 
};; of the town at the i)resent writing is alioiit 70(i, .-uid 
ill it has a Methodist and Congregational Churcli. one 
i?^ of the best public schools in the county, a fine 
fi I rtouring-iiiili. one of the largest mill Ipiiildings in 
li; the State, two general stores, one drug-store, res- 
i:| taurant, l)illiard hall, livery sUxble. wagon, black- 
i;': smith and shoe shops, and such other business as is 
\':C demanded by the place. Its proximity to Oskaloosa 
I : lulrt^ the ifeneral trade, there being; a line of hacks 

■ II 1 1 1 IITT 



continually running between the two places, carry- 
ing passengers at a reasonable price. The Odd P'el- 
lows have a flourishing lodge here, with money in 
its treasury. The village was incorporated in 1874. 



— >t^ 



4K 



•^5*?— 






4=f£>- 



HARRISON TOWXSHIP. 



'IniVUT little natural timber exists in the town- 
Li^, ship, the greater part of the land being a 
/^jjl, rolling prairie, "not too rolling, but just 



rolling enough." The soil is of an excel- 
lent quality, well adapted to general farming pur- 
poses. It was first settled in 1H43, and was or- 
ganized in 1)S44. A part of Eddyville extends 
into this township, as well as Muchachinock a)ul Ex- 
celsior, the latter two being mining villages. Ce- 
dar, a stati(m on the Burlington & Western Rail- 
road, also lies in this township. It has a general 
store, a splendid tiling factory, blacksmith-shop, etc. 
A post-ollice had been established here for some 
years previous to the building of the railroad. 
There are seven churches and eleven sdiool-houses 
in the t(jwnship, proof that its educational and 
spiritual interests arc well guarded. 



JEFFEKfSOX TOWNSHIP. 

^/EFFERSON isa purely agricultural township, 
having no vill.age within its boundaries, nei- 
ther is a single t>ne of its many fine f:irms 
l)rokeii by a railr)ad. The township is well 
supi)lied with timber, while its prairie lands rank 
with the best in the county. Moses Nowels. Miram 
Covey ami E. Flanders are said to have been the 
first settlers, staking their claims the morning of 
May 1 , 1 H4:l The township is now well settled 
and well improved, being su|)plied with several 
churches .'ind nine good schools. Among the most 
prominent men are Robert Wharton, Ilor.ace Ly- 
man. P. tl. Butler, Joshua W.ay, John Eveland. 
Henry Eveland, J. II. Evans. A. Rogers and Eman- 



m 

hi 



J 



1 } 



P; 

mil 
iliji 

H 

n 



P 



H 
1 

u 



1; 

ili 



tuuilxsr 





luia 



8^B 



I irTrrTni.imi.i.ij immmxri 



^rrrmmr Zdbdfrf^ i iij t mamgixj m! 



:i rxxiii xxnxz 



ia rxx*- tJrTt 



miii 540 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



iirxxitxrrrrxrxrxjnmiiirai- b^Xa *r3 

if 



ICIrTTmni 



•^^ uel Kites, all of whom. stand well in the cominunity, 
I I 



1 I 





n 



'If^siT 







being representative men in every sense of the 
word. 



♦1^ 



MADTSOX TOWNSHIP. 

ADISON is well watered by the south fork 
of the Skunk River and its tributaries. The 
surface of all the township is mueh broken, 
' but for general farming and stock-raising is 

unsurpassed. Among the early settlers were Enoch 
Shoemake. William (loodplaster. .John Padgett, 
William Brummcl. Samuel CdUin and Ilervey Cru- 
zen. In the fall of 1«4G a log school-house was 
erected, and William Lawrence taught the first 
term of school. There are now seven good scIkjoI- 
liouses, and the schools will compare favorably with 
•any others <jf the county. The first religious serv- 
ices were held in the first school-bouse.s. 

In religious matters the township may be said to 
be divided, but there is a large following of those 
holding the views of Rev. Wesley Shoemake. .Some 
ye.ars since Mr. Shoemake heg.an to study the Bible, 
especially the New Testament Scriptures, in a care- 
ful manner, and Itecame convinced that the great 
body of believers had a wrong conception of God's 
kingdom and the influence and work of the Holy 
Si)irit. Observing, too. the many divisions of 
those calling themselves the children of God, or 
Christians, and taking the prayer of the Savior, as 
recorded in the 17th chapter of John, as the will of 
Christ, he saw plainly that prayer was not being 
answered. Taking the words of the Savior, " Lo, 
the kingdom of God is within you." together 
with His |iromise to .send the Holy ?ipirit, and that 
"Whosoever believeth on Me [Christ], out of his 
belly shall flow rivers of living w.ater," speaking of 
the Spirit which they that believed on Him were to 
receive, " for the Spirit was not yet given." and the 
further command given to the Apostles to tarry in 
Jerusalem till they " were endued with power [tiie 
Holj' Spirit] from on high," "Mr. Shoemake reas- 
oned as' follows: A kingdom implies a king, one 
who rules. That kingdom is within the heart; 
therefore the king dwells there. As he cannot 
dwell there iu person, he must in spirit. The 



Spirit, when Christ made the promise, had not yet 
been given, therefore the kingdom w:i< not fully 
established. This Spirit was given on the day of 
Pentecost, the first after the resurrection. It took 
full possession of the Apostles, governing them in 
all their words, so much so they spoke with strange 
tongues. The kingdom of God with its ruler, the 
Lord Jesus Christ, in the person of the Holy Spirit, 
was now within them. As it was in them, so it 
would be in his followers, Christ should govern 
them completely, and they would work to carry 
out His will in all things. His will is that all 
should be one, that the world might believe. The 
world cannot believe so long as the professed fol- 
lowers of Christ are divided, therefore there must 
be a union of all God's people, and all should be 
governed in the fullest extent by His Spirit, the 
kingdom which is in them. 

A neat chapel was erected some years ago iu this 
township, an organization formed, and services are 
held ever}' Sunday, by those holding to the views 
as set forth. Mr. Shoem.ake is Pastor of the coun- 
cil. To those who desire to learn more of the 
views of Mr. Shoem.ake, he will take pleasure in 
mailing to them a pamphlet, written by himself, en- 
titled " God's Kingdom." 

— ^-S- ..o«o.•@y^„A^..<^»o V-— 




3IONROE TOWNSHIP. 

r^HIS township comprises township 76 north, 
range 1 4 west, of the oth principal merid- 
ian. It is bounded on the east by Keokuk 
County, on the west by Adams Township, on the 
north by Pleasant Grove, and on the south by 
White Oak. The north branch of the Skunk River 
enters the township on sec. 4, and pursuing a south- 
easterly course passes out from section SO. The 
river bottoms are generally low and wet. but the 
uplands on both sides of the river are rolling and 
very fertile. Monroe was settled as early as an}" 
other township, .\mong the first who came in were 
James Bridges, Jacob Johns. Henry Wymore, Will- 
iam Kindjerl}", John Baker and Thomas Tinsley. 
The township is now settled by an iutelligeut class. 




3S325H2 





4' 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



541 




and within its borders are some of the finest farms 
in tiie county. There are some guud school build- 
ings in the township, with several churches. Indian- 
apolis is the onlj- village. No railroad as yet pen- 
etrates its territory. 

Indianapolis. 

\jl NDIANAPOLIS is a small village situated 
upon section 1 1 . and was laid out in 1 Ml.') by 
Willis Baker, who came from Indiana. The 
village has never attained any special size, being 
but little larger to-day than forty years ago. James 
Bridges is believed to have been the first merchant 
in the pl.ace. At present there are two general 
stores, creamery, flouring-mills. and such other lines 
of business represented as are necessary in a coun- 
try village. The Baptist. Christian Mud Methodist 
Episcopal Churches .are represented. 

Indianapolis at one time had a fine school, pre- 
sided over b}^ Prof. Ambrose llpdegrafl", which is 
gratefully remembered by .some who are now mid- 
dle-aged men, but who were his pupils. It has a 
good graded school to-day, which is doing much 
for the rising generation. S. P. Baker is Postm.aster. 

PLEASANT GHOVE TOWNSHIP. 

N the northeastern corner of the count}- is 
Pleasant (Jrove Township, comprising all of 
J^ townshij) 77, range 14 west, of the .jth princi- 
pal meridian. It is well watered by the north fork 
of the ^>kuiik River and numerous tributaries, and 
the township is almost equall}' divided between 
timber and [irairie. The eastern half is mostly 
prairie laud of an excellent quality, while the west- 
ern is principally timber. 

Pleasant Grove was not settled so early as some 
other parts of the county. Among those entitled 
to the name of pioneers, ma^' be mentioned Amos 
HoUoway, .s. Whitaker, Noah Van Winkle, William 
Hamblcton. .lohu Wymore, .John Wyatt, Benjamin 
.Murphy and .lohn Whitehead. The most promi- 
nent citizens now living here are David Lystcr, 
bauiuel K. McSpadden. II. A. Sarvis, D. L. Lyon, 
John Lister and Joseph Soults, all of whom are 



well-to-do farmers, exerting an influence ft)r good 
in the community in which they reside. Hon. D. 
L. Lyon is at present representing his district in 
the House of liepresentatives of the General As- 
sembly of Iowa. The first settlers were mostly 
from Ohio and Indiana. There arc now quite a 
number of families of .Scotch-Irish descent, of a , 
stock that are tried and true. 

The first school was in 1H5.3 and taught by Rich- 
ard .Mayberr^-, in a log cabin on the farm of Isaac 
McCartney. This was a private school. In the fall 
of IH.5.5 three school-houses were built and the 
township was divided into districts. There arc now 
nine sub-districts in the township, each having a 
good school-house, the schools comparing favorably 
with otliers in the county. The religious welfare 
of the community is guarded b}' several religious 
organizations. The village of Agricola on sections 
3 and 4. was laid out in 1854. It h:is never at- 
tained any special prominence, but has now about 
200 inhabitants. 

^ #>#. ^ 





tfj ^ 



PKAIKIE TOM N SHIP. 

^HIS township received its first settler in 1844 
in the person of .John Ililer. a half-blooded 
negro, who located on the northwest quar- 
ter of section 3, where he remained for many years. 
A man named Wallace came next, and settled upon 
section 4, in 184.5. S^ime three or four others came 
in between 184.5 and 1849, but it was not until the 
latter year that any considerable settlement was 
made in the township. The reason of this was the 
scarcity of timber, the township being composed 
almost entirely of prairie land, from which it de- 
rives its name. 

Prairie Township was organized in 1856, and 
wa.s one of the last townships organized in the 
county. To-d.aj- it stands as one of the best, with 
improvements second to none, with church and 
school privileges unexcelled, and with a class of 
people to merit the favor of every one. The first 
school-house was erected in 1856 in the center of 
section 3. Jesse Ballinger teaching the first term of 
school therein. The fii-st sermon was preached at 



Eli S 



^.^lj 
'r-^ 



!, ^ 



ibrijit Lv~^* 



3i : 

3,, 









I 




I 



.542 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 




Ihe residence of Levi Stewart, b3' Rev. .John Curr3', 
a Baptist minister, in May, 1856. 

Prairie Townshi]) iias witliin its borders the citj' 
of New Sharon, the most iniportant town in the 
county outside of Oskaloosa. The township is di- 
vided into nine school districts, including New 
Sharon, and its school buildings and schools are 
among the best. 

New Sharon. 

EW SHARON is located upon sections 13 
and 14, and the town was platted .July 22, 
1856. From the " History of Prairie Town- 
ship," from which the greater position of the early 
histor}' of the township is obtained, it is learned 
there was quite a contest over the name. William 
Zimmerman, one of the original proi)rietors, pro- 
posed naming it "Schenefeld," which means "Pretty 
field," a name which would have been very appro- 
priate, but. on account of the dilHculty of spelling. 
it is quite probable, it was rejected. It was finally 
decided to call the town Sharon, and as such it w.is 
recorded. When the a[)plieation was made for a 
post-olfice it was found there was one by that name 
in Warren County, Iowa, so the name New Sharon 
was given to the office, and by common consent 
that has been accepted as the name of the town. 

The first building erected was in IboG by Edward 
Quaintance, while James Winder erected the second. 
The latter opened the first store for general mer- 
chandise in 18.57. " The growth of the town was 
decidedly slow," said Mr. Vail in his history of 
Prairie Township, " until the years of speculation 
that came as one of the natural results of the Civil 
War that was inaugurated in this country in 'tiO. 
Gradu.ally it developed until the close of the war, 
when the spirit of enterprise and speculation that 
was swelling every avenue of our commercial sys- 

j tem with uuhealtliy vigor, pushed it rapidly for- 
ward. In 1870 the prospect for the early eom- 

3 pletion of the Central Railroad of Iowa through 
the town was so flattering, that the attention of en- 
terprising men in various parts of the country was 
dii-ected thereto, and as a result, the population of 

I the town increased by hundreds, and rapidly became 

I one of the liveliest and most energetic ti-adiug 
points in all Iowa. Like all other towns, New 



Sharon reached a point when a too rapid growth 
necessarily received a check. Between the years 
'72 and '76 she added more than 400 to her popu- 
lation through emigration alone, and could boast of 
about 900 inhabitants. New business houses were 
established in rapid succession, old structures were 
vacated for new and more costly and spacious edi- 
fices; but the time for a halt came. Many citizens, 
probably nearly 200, left the town to search for 
fairer fields of labor." 

On the return of better times, the town began to 
assume move of its old-time appearance, but it has 
never enjoyed the boom it had followiifg the com- 
pletion of the Central Radroad. 

New Sharon was incorporated in 1871, its incor- 
poration being hastened by the establishment of a 
wine and beer saloon near the depot. The first 
election was held Oct. 4, 1«71, and H. M. Fortuey 
was elected ^tlayor. A prohibitory ordinance was 
one I if the first acts passed by the council, and the 
saloon was soon a thing of the past. Other attempts 
have since been made to establish a saloon here, 
but without success. 

Religiously New Sharon is favored, the greater 
number of inh.abitants being church-going people, 
and tliere are a number of denominations repre- 
sented. Those having organizations are F'riends, 
Methodist Episcopal, Baptist, Presbyterians, Chris- 
tians and Universalists. For a full and detailed 
histor}^ of these organizations the reader is referred 
to Vail's History'. 

The secret and benevolent societies are repre- 
sented by the Masons, Odd Fellows and Good 
Templars, eacli of which have fine organizations, 
and each in their way trying to do good. 

The business of New Sharon is good, it having 
representatives of the various lines of business, and, 
to crown all, it has a splendid local paper in the 
New Sharon Star, edited by David Vail. 

New Sharon has had two very severe fires. On 
tlie morning of April 29, 1876, a fire broke out, 
and before it was finally stopped damage was done 
to the amount of $30,000, on which there was 
about $10,000 insurance. On the morning of Dec. 
14, 1886, another fire occurred, resulting in a loss 
of $16,000, on which there was but $5,000 insur- 
ance. 



a !j 
it 

i 



Si 

3-;u 

2 1 

1 



i 







HIHP 







liHgeea 



I'-'r'-'^'-'^i 







m 

[I:; Tlie town, heretofore, has heen illy providefl 
H.-: with meiins to cope with a tire, but arr:ingcmeiits 
[11 were in progress to thoroughly organize, and a fire 
" " < purohased as tiiese lines were being writ- 



MAIIASKA COUNTY. 



54;: 



ly^C bell 
'i^l ten. 



m 



The village of Taintor is situated upon section 
(i, on the line of the Newton branch of the Central 
Iowa Railroad. It affords a market for the fanners 
of a splendid section of country, and ought to 
prosper. 

BICHLAN1> TOWNSHIP. 



"Ip^iICHLAND lies in the northeast corner of 
'ILi'^ the eountv. and compri.ses 



'.l^-' th( 

Im no' 

%)pal 



the county, and compri.ses township 77 
north, r.ange 17 west, of the oth princi- 
W0) pal meridian. The section lines were run 
by James Grant, who afterward became one of the 
pC leading attornej's of the State, a District Judge. 
iliC and a very wealthy man. Thompson Baldwin, 
lilS Moses Wassam, Lauren Osborn, Powell Bush and 
-_(, 'William Lawrence are numbered among the early 
p settlers of the township. Mary Westlake taught 
iH the first term of school in the winter of 1846-47 in 
?: a log cabin owned by J\Ir. Baldwin. Since that day, 
Url now forty years ago, great changes have been made 
K^: in schools and school systems. The old log school- 
houses have all disappeared from Mahaska County, 
If giving place to neat, and sometimes handsome, 
frame or brick structures. In Richland there are 
p now nine good, comfortable school buildings, and 
1 11 the schools will compare favorably with others. 
)ts The southwestern part of the township is eonsidera- 
5 bly broken and covered with timber, while the 
S northern and eastern is prairie land. Near Peoria 
; are some good quarries of building stone. Among 
» the leading men of the townshii) are A. G. Hull, 
Charles Phelps, S. E. Bebli, J. II. White and James 
Samuels. 

Peoria. 

'fl^^EORIA was laid out in Is.'iS, liy T. Spain 

and others, and is situated on section 22. 

he same influences that have built up or 

broken down so many towns throughout 

the length and breadth of the land, have operated 

j^ljl against this village. As long as railroads were 

tiTilfimmi. ITT .77..' TTTrmr. 

1^; 




not near, its chance foi- [)rosperity was equal to the 
best, but when roads were built within a few miles, 
and all gcncr;il (rullir was cinried by the improved 
method, there was no further hope. At present 
there are two churches. Christian and .Methodi>i 
Episcopal, while the business interests are repre- 
sented by two general stores and a blacksmitli- 
shop. Two physicians also reside here. The po|i- 
ulation of the place is about KtO. Henry Cooni- 
is Postmaster. 

Granville is another town of the past, being 
killed l)y the village of Taintor, which is but a 
mile and a half southwest. 



SCOTT TOAVNSHIP. 

^j^>^HE township of Scott comprises all of town- 
ship 75, range 17, Ijiug north of the Des 
Moines River. Its first settlement was along 
the Des Moines River, and was contemporaneous 
with the first settlement of the county. Among 
those to first locate in this township were Dr. E. A. 
Boyer, Charles Stoddard, Harvey Norton, William 
Jenkins, V. B. Delashmutt, Joseph Tally, Abraham 
Bryan, William Long, Hiram Nordick, Robert Con- 
ner, John Metzger, Benjamin Kianklin, John Bate- 
man, John Ross and William Buel. Some of these 
remained but a short time, but the greater number 
became permanent citizens of the county. 

When the township was organized it was given 
the name of Jackson, by the County Commissioners, 
but in 1852, when Scottand Pierce ran for the Presi- 
dency, the township cast a solid vote for .Scott. Dr. 
Boyer was commissioned to return the vote to the 
County Judge, and at the same time was requested 
to have its name changed, ^^'hen the Judge asked 
him for his petition for a change of name he was 
referred to the vote cast. It w^as satisfactory, and 
its name was changed to Scott. 

Two embryo villages have existed in this town- 
ship, Rochester and Bellefontaine. The latter was 
laid out Aug. 24, 184G, and the first house erected 
was by E. M. Thisselle, one of the proprietors of 
the place. A store was carried on here by Dr. 
Boyer until 1875, when it was moved to Tracy 







KJ 






"» 






544 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 






If 



Marion Comity, a? wSs also the post-oflfice. Roch- 
ester was laid out in liioO, hy John Wright. Its 
histcn'y is meager iiuleed, it never having had over 
fifty or sixty inhalntants at any one time. Marion 
White ran a store here for some time, as did Dr. 
Boyer at an earl\' day. The [jost-oftice was ealled 
Auburn. It was discontinued in 1 SS.t. 

The village of Olivet was laid out in ls77. It 
is a .station on tiie ('., R. I. & P. R. R. The first 
house was erected hy William Snmner, who opened 
tlie first store in the place. H. B. Brown com- 
menced hlacksmilhing the .same season. Samuel 
Casey was the first station agent. The village took 
its name from the Olivet Presbyterian Church, 
which had been organized some years previously. 
II. D. Ross was the first Postmaster. William Sum- 
ner is the present official. The village has never 
attained any special growth, and contains but half 
a dozen families, though consideralile shipping is 
done from this point. 

The following account of the religious and edu- 
cational historj' of the township is contributed by 
D. D. Ro.ss, an old and respected citizen : " Pres- 
byterian services were held as earlj' as 18.50, ap- 
pointments being filled by Oskaloosa ministers. 
During the winter of 1857-.58 Rev. Childs (Bap- 
tist), and Rev. Delong (Presbyterian), held a series 
of union meetings, at the close of which quite a 
number united with each church, which formed 
branches of the Oskaloosa churches. In the spring 
of 1 800, at the residence of Mrs. Sarah Robertson, a 
Presbyterian Church with twenty-six members was 
organized by Rev. C. II. Delong, assisted by Rev. 
Johnsou, of Adel, with C. H. Delong as Pastor, 
William Alexander, Jacob Himes and D. F. Laugh- 
lin as Elders. Mrs. Delong proposed that the new 
church organization be made Olivet, which name 
was at once accejited and is retained. Rev. Delong 
moving to New York Rev. Asa Martin took charge 
until his health failed. Rev. A. T. Wood then took 
the field until the fall of 1868. Regular services 
were held in Prairie College until Oct. 17, 1867, 
when Olivet Presbyterian Church was dedicated 
by Rev. Wood, Pastor, assisted by Rev. John 
Fisher, at a cost of -^1,666. The church is built 
upon three acres of ground, donated by Albert 
Phillips to the organization for a church, lot and 



cemetery. It is in the southeast corner of the 
northwest quarter of section 9. In the fall of 1868 
Rev. Fisher took charge of the church, and was in- 
stalled Pastor of Olivet and Pella Churches, during 
which time he preached at Leighton, and organized 
a church there. His relationship with the churches 
being dissolved in the summer of 1876, the church 
was supplied one year by Rev. Kier, one year by 
Rev. Mathews, at intervals by Rev. Jennings. 
Rev. T. C. Strauss, Rev. P. Bliss and Rev. Shafer. 
The church now numbers thirty -five members, who 
have during 18)S,5 and 1886 repaired their building 
at a cost of about i!*400. The present Elders are 
D. F. Laughlin and George Barnes. 

The first Sunday-School was organized at Prairie 
College in 185o, with D. F. Laughlin as Superiutend- 
dent. This school received from the Sunday-School 
Union, a Sabbath-School library. Since that time 
a school has been kept up most of the time during 
the summer season until about four years ago, since 
when it has been constantl}- kept up in Olivet 
Church summer and winter, with a good attendance. 
Each one in attendance is furnished with a weekly 
paper and lesson-paper. D. D. Ross is the present 
Superintendent. 

There was Methodist Episcopal preaching at an 
early date, a class being organized as earlj' as 1 847 
or 1848, which continued until the winter of 1882, 
when Rev. Richards held a series of meetings and 
organized a Methodist Protestant Church, including 
a portion of the old Methodist Episcopal, and some 
others, numbering in all twenty-two members. 
Adam Laughlin was chosen Class-Leader, and Will- 
iam Laughlin, Steward. The Methodist Protestant 
Church is just completing a new building at Olivet 
Station, at a cost of about |!l,"200, where they held 
their annual conference in September, 1886. 

There is one Old-School Baptist organization that 
has held regular services since 1880 in the Greely 
School-house. Rev. Aaron Wood is the present 
preacher. 

Tiiere was a Tunker organization in the town- 
ship, which in the fall of 1875 held its annual meeting 
about three-fourths of a mile west of Olivet Church. 
There was a Methodist Episcopal church at Belle- 
fontaine for a number of years, which was moved 
to Tracy. 

nas3sj5. 



m 

Km 



i 
=1 



i 



ii 
i 

■ X 

:x 
,. I 

H 
I' 

It 

"•in 



BE I 




r??^?^^'7i?^ 




I3C 



til 

150 
15| 



3S 



1 

1 

1 
1-- 

1: 
1 1 

i;j 

In 

i;i 

1;. 

I -:■, 

i; 

L: 

I? 

Ir, 
i; 

Ir 

\=; 
l-ll 

1=:; 

\% 

i| 

la 

I 

I 

1 

1 



IE 



I 



I 
I 
1 = 



The first school in Scott Township was a snb- 
scriptitni school taught by Williuni Pope, in tlie win- 
ter of 1846-47. It was quiti' well attended, and would 
have averaged about thirt.v. The names of those 
who attended this school and still reside in Ma- 
haska County-, are ?Mrs. John R. Barnes, Mrs. 
Christian Iloiitz. Mr. IX I). Uossaud Mr. Z. Delasli- 
niutt. The house was a log cabin, with slab benches, 
one glass window, one large crack with greased 
paper, a mud and stick chimney, and the historic 
back log. It stood on the bank of the Des Moines 
River, on land which is now the site of Rochester. 
The first school in a house built by taxation for the 
purjjose, was a term of four months taught in 
Prairie College in the winter of I850-.51 by .John 
Thompson, at ?! 14 per month. The expenses were 
paid in part by public funds and part by patrons. 
The number of pupils enrolknl was thirty-four. 
Prairie College was a frame building 18x20 feet, 
completed in 18;j0, situated in District No. 2, Scott 
Township, and located on a half-acre lot of the 
southeast corner of the northeast (juarler of 
section 16, township 75 north, range 17 west. The 
building was burned the winter of 1867-68, after 
having done eighteen j'ears of service :is school- 
house, church and public iiall. There was a log 
.school-house liuilt by contribution in about 1848 
or 1849, where school was held. 

Ver3' shortly' after the building of Prairie Col- 
lege, a frame school-house wasjcompleted at Roch- 
ester, and soon after this, one in the eastern part of 
the township, known as Western Academy. These 
three were the first frame buildings. There are 
now (in 1886) seven school-houses in tlie townshi)), 
and good school privileges uniler the Indepeniient 
District System. This township pays its teachers as 
high vvages as are paid in the count}'. 



SPKINU tKKEK TOWNSHIP. 

LTHOUGH much broken, almost the entire 
township is suscei>tible of cultivation, good 
crops being the rule either in dry or wet 
seasons. In addition to its value as a farm- 
ing country, the land is underlaid with coal, much 
if which is now lieinjr taken out. The settlement 




of the township dates from the morning of May I , 
1843, several of its pioneers anxiouslj' waiting the 
striking of the clock at niidniglit giving notice that 
the Indian title wiis extinct, and that the fair land 
of Mahaska County was now thrown open for set- 
tlement. 

Among those in waiting, and who lost no time 
in securing their claims were Poultney Loughridge, 
John McAllister, Edwin Mitciiell, Robert .Alitchcll. 
and Patterson Martin, who soon brought in their 
families. 

.lolm McAllister came from Muskingum County, 
Ohio, of which State he is thought to liavc been :i 
native. He remained an lionored citizen of the 
township for many years, but finally moved to 
Kansas, where he has since died. 

Poultnej' Loughridge wiis a native of l'cnu>yl- 
vania, but came to thus State from Ohio. Kew men 
are better known among the pioneers than I'oult- 
ney Loughi-idge, a well written sketch of whom ap- 
pears elsewhere in this volume. 

Edwin Mitchell and Robert Mitchell were also 
from Ohio. Edwin died at a very earl}' dsiy, Rob- 
ert surviving him for some years, but both dying 
in Spring Creek Township. 

Mr. .Stiifford came in the summer of 1848, and 
located near Loughridge's. lie was the first of a 
large settlement of Friends, who have since located 
in Spring Creek and adji>ining townships. When 
the claim club was organized, on account of his 
peace principles, Mr. Stafforil refused to become a 
member, trusting his claim would be respected, 
and he be permitted to purchiuse without trouble. 
A speculator thought as Mr. Stafford was not a 
member of the club he would be permitted to ob- 
tain possession, but the members of the club gave 
him to understand that they would defend Mr. 
Stafford's rights. The speculator didn't buy. Mr. 
Stafford died some j'ears ago. 

The nearest post-ottice at the time the first set- 
tlers came in, was at Fairfield, Jett'erson Cotinty. 
To thispl.ace the whole neighborhood sent at inter- 
vals a messenger to bring their nuiil. Fairfield 
wa.-- also the nearest trading point. 

There wa.-. marrying and giving in marriage in 
that early day. The first one of which the histor- 
ian obtained kn^>wledge, wa> that of \\illian> Staf- 




'H -i 



mm 





o4G 



MAHASKA COUNTY. 



H^? 



II 



m 



HI : 



m 




ford and Eliza Stanley, which occurred in 1845. 
Mrs. Stafford died in lcS53. 

The first birth is supposed to have been that of 
John Mitchell, who was born in 1844. 

Spring Creek has the honor of having the first 
school in the county. It was held in the summer 
of 1844 by Miss Semira A. Ilobbs, now Mrs. T. (i. 
Phillips, of Oskaloosa. In the educational article 
on another page will be found an account of this 
school. There are now nine good schools. There 
is no village in this township. 

UNION TOWNSHIP. 

, NE of the best tovvnships in Mahaska County' 
is that of Union, comprising township 77, 
range 1.0. It is bounded on the east by 
Pleasant Grove, on the west by Prairie, the north 
by Poweshiek County, and the south by Adams 
Township. On the organization of the county it 
comprised five congressional townships, three in 
Poweshiek County and two in Mahaska. The 
Poweshiek township was detached shortly before 
the organization of that countj-, and what is now 
Pleasant Grove in 1850. Among the early settlers 
of the township were John Morrison, IS'athan Brown, 
Jacob Dalby, Isaac N. Griffith, John Widows, 
Jacob Klinker, .Jesse JNIoon, Fred Weirner, Benja- 
min Groves, Anderson James, John McMains, John 
Deardorf, John Graham, Daniel Rogers and Robert 
Tilford, tlie latter being yet an honored resident. 
In the forty-four years since the first settlement 
was made, it cann<jt but be expected that many 
changes have been made. Some of those who 
came in at that early day moved to other parts, 
more have passed '• over tlie river," while but few 
remain to tell how the country was improved, and 
of the toils and privations of pioneer life. The ohl 
log school-houses in wliich those who are now mid^ 
die-aged, or who have almost reached their three- 
score 3'ears, received their early instruction, have 
given place to more substantial structures, or at 
least handsomer in <lesign. There are now nine 
school-houses in the town>hi|i, all of which arc oc- 
cupied the greater |i;irt of the year. In leligious 




matters, the Christians and Methodists seem to be »■ 
in the lead, each having church edifices and hold- 
ing regular services. Among the leading citizens 
of the township at present, are William Stewart, 
Abner Allen, Robert Tilford, A. C. Doze, Hardin 
Tice, S. Knowlton, Alonzo Rockwell, Dr. J. II. 
Fry and J. E. Ogborn. 

A village was laid out in this township at quite 
an early da3', and a post-offlce established in 1855, 
which is still maintained, P. D. Taylor being the 
present Postmaster. There is a good flouring-mill 
in tlie place and one general store, no railroad, 
and consequentl}^ in a bad condition so far as pres- 
ent or future prosperity is concerned. 

WHITE OAK TOWNSHIP. 

^HE South Skunk River cuts this township in 
almost equal parts, entering on section 7, and 
pursuing a circuitous course, passes out from 
section "24. This takes from the township a large 
amount of land, the river bottoms being valuable 
only for their limber, which is abundant and of good 
quality. While much of the laud is verj' broken, 
there are yet many fine farms within its borders, 
and many excellent citizens, enterprising and hos- 
pitable. The first settlement in this township is dated 
from May 1, 1843, M. Kinsman, Alex. Troy, Henry 
Bond, William Bridges, James Stanfleld, John and 
William Butler, being the pioneers. Here was the 
celebrated Indian village of Kish-ke-kosh, from the 
ruins of which some material for the first cabin was 
obtained. As the township settled up schools were 
opened and religious services were held, the first 
school, it is said, being held in 1845. There are 
now nine good school Imildiugs in the township, a 
fine graded school being held in Rose Hill. At an 
early day, a village taking the name of Oxford was 
laid out on section "20, and for a time it appeared 
tliat it would have more than a name. But like many 
other towns throughout the West it was "'snuffed 
out" by railroads in proximit}' to, but not in its 
borders. White Oak post-ollice is still kept on the 
site of the old town, (». R. (Jaskell being Postmas- 
ter. Mr. Gaskell has been keeping here a general 




1 



■3 J J JJUI 



11. 



i.^ J- fc. ^ ■ 




]« AH ASK A COUNTY 



■1J-: 
a:;S 

i1 



fi,: 

P 

;;! 

!■; 
1-; 
\=: 

1 = 

^■: 

Tj : 

■i;.: 

L : 

r- 

U-: 

li 



i 



,-1) : 

1:! 

1:5 



store since 1 871 , and carries a fine stock of goods, a 
stock that would compare favorably with nianj- kept 
in tiic larger towns. On section 7 is the well-known 
Currier Mills, which has been in existence for 
nearly forty 3'ears, and which has supi)lied farmers 
for miles around with Hour equal to the best. The 
village of Hose Hill is the only one in the township. 
Rose Hill is the outgrowth of the building of the 
Oskaloosa branch of the C. R. 1. & P. R. II., and 
was laid out on the completion of the road to Os- 
kaloosa in 1875. It is situated on sections 3 and 
10, on hind formerly owned by James Ornhaum 
and A. Williams, and is about ten miles east of Os- 
kaloosa. The first business house was built in 
1875 by Bailey' <fe Stubbs, and for a time it ap- 
peared as if the town would flourish finely. Its 



gi-owth was so rapid the first two j'ears, that the 
place was incorporated in 1877. For some cause 
its growth was then retarded, so timt in the winter 
of 1886-87 it has but about 250 iniiabitants. Rose 
Hill is surrounded bj' a fine agricultural country, 
which should be tributary and furnish the town a 
good trade. The post-otHce was estjiblished in 
1876, with H. L. Orr as Postmaster. W. T. Val- 
landigham is the present Postmaster. The relig- 
ious interests of the place are developed by three 
churches, while there is a fine school held in a good 
two-storj- frame Ijuilding. There are three general 
stores, one lumber-yard, one hardware and harness, 
two drug and gi-ocery stores, one creamerj', meat 
market, blacksmith-shop, hotel, etc. Two physi- 
cians look after the ph3'sical ills of the community. 










iiHii 



'BM 



wm' 







II 












"J 5 



JTTTrf 



Tiiiiiiixiz 






iqcpi 



imJiiirxjLmjx ' pmti mrrj | 



,'rriTiruixxinrixiriTniaxii i 



drTTTTing 



Hy;;.! 



II 



[U^ 



n 



mm 
















il 





??F? 



fcl j^ . f-t^TTI 




BI0GI^fI^l7iafIlj. 



Adams, John 33 

Adams, John Quincy 39 

Adloii. J. H 231 

Allen. Abner 383 

Allen, Isaac 35g 

Allen, Capt L. J i8i 

AUendcr, X. B 282 

Anderson, B. P 243 

Anderson, E.. ^^4 

Arnold, Isham 22a 

Arihur, Chester A 99 

Asher, James R 325 

Atwood, Harriett 395 



Hacon, Martin 194 

Bacon, K- H 206 

Bacon, R. P 478 

Baer, John R 195 

Baldwin. Thompson 353 

Ballingcr, Rev. Thomas 297 

Barnes, J. M 194 

Barnes, John R 210 

Barr, Alfred 447 

Barr, Ira -379 

Barrickman, W. H 187 

Barringcr, J. C 203 

Bartlow, William 404 

Baxton, S. W 334 

Bass« Robert 432 

Bass, Woodford 439 

Baiich, Rev. J. M 435 

Beach. Hon. Thomas C 185 

Real, Hiram 345 

Beaman, Alonzo 307 

Bcaitie. Prof. J. A 462 

Bcede, Cyrus 245 

Berry. C. ti. ...404 

Berry, 1.. |: , 497 



Berry, W'w 412 

Blanchard, L. C 441 

Bobbjtt, E H 290 

Boles, John T 384 

Bolton. J. B 480 

Bond, Josephtis 211 

Bowen, C. T 345 

Bowen. William 458 

Bowen, William 230 

Bowman, I*. L 319 

Boyd, Wm 381 

Boyer, Dr. E. A.. 304 

Boyer, R. M --335 

Boyles, Sylvester 391 

Brewer, E. D ■■334 

Brewer, Franklin? 366 

Brewer, G. W 264 

Brewer. Harry 454 

Biidges, Hon. James 308 

Briggs, Ansel m 

Briggs, George 346 

Briggs, Thomas 392 

Briney, Joel 451 

Brooks, Mrs. Catherine 321 

Brubaker, V 297 

Bryan, Alanson 401 

Bryant, Wm. A 403 

Buchanan, James. 75 

Burnett. Joel 348 

Burnside, Wm 428 

Burton. Leonard .•..303 

Busby, Elijah 352 

Butler, P. G 418 

Byers, J. M 483 

Byram, C. G... 184 



c 



Caldwell. A. N 285 

Cammack, W, R 468 

Carpenter, Cyrus Clay 139 

Cherrington, Wm 313 

Church, Alonro N 393 

Clark, Elmore 433 

Clark, R. V ...381 

Clark, Samuel W 444 



Cleveland. S. Grover 103 

Cobbs, 1 imothy 358 

Cochran, SanfortI 208 

Coffee, James O 360 

Coftlit, Erastus 406 

Colville, J, W 227 

Comstock, A. J 268 

Conaway, A . B 410 

Cook, S. .S 391 

Covey, H. P 249 

Cowan, J. P 3s6 

Cowan, W. A...... 421 

Cnwics, A. H., M. D 378 

Craft, Joseph E 390 

Crandall, E. H 215 

Crawford, Oliver 243 

Croney, Charles A 424 

Crookham, Judge J. A. L, - 260 

Crookham, Milton... 471 

Cruzen, Benj 374 

Cruzen, Jerome B 260 

Currier, Chas 291 

Currier, W. S 301 

Cull-. Hon. M. E 305 



D 



Darland, James B 332 

Darland. James T 34a 

Pnughherty, Gideon 419 

Davenport, F. M -S58 

Davidson, J. W 382 

Davis. Daniel 381 

Davis, I>avidS 283 

Davis, John D 342 

Dawson, Walter E 415 

Dillcy, Moyd 385 

Dillcy. J 387 

Dixon* G. £ 354 

Dixon, J. N 437 

Doak, J. VV 22a 

Doak, Robert 296 

Dornan, Mrs. Elizabeth 343 

Douglas. J. H 284 

Downing, W.J 302 



Downs, O. M 

Doze, A. C 

Drennan, J. M . . 
Driiry, Casper. . . 
Dumont, Richard 
Duncan, G. N. . 
Durfee, W. A... 
Dye, R. W 



E 



. -236 

-•339 

..369 

344 

..afg 

■•477 

. .296 

■•37*» 



Ebey, Capt. Thomas 306 

Edgar, W'm. .S 278 

Ellsworth, I,. F . .380 

Else, John J .370 

Emmert, T. B 385 

Evans, J. H 482 

Evans, Sarah J 333 

Eveland, Freeman 343 

Eveland, H 35<j 

Eveland, John 440 

Everett, J. F 438 



Fallis, J. C 313 

Fauquier, G. H 348 

Fauquier, H- C 402 

Fillmore. Millard 67 

Finley, J. W 365 

Flcener, J . E 313 

Foehlinger, Adam. 249 

Ford, C. W 381 

Foster, C, W 346 

Fox, Loftus . ..369 

FrankeU Isaiah 433 

Frederick, William 239 

Fry, Dr. John H ......340 

Funston, John "..481 



^la fn 



^TiUfl 



1 f^^Tl. 





5.50 



G 



Garfield, James A gc 

(iarner, Parish ,86 

Carreit, I. A jgg 

Gaskill, O. R 25^ 

Gear, John H j^^ 

Gerard, E. IJ ^^j 

Gerard, Capi. Edward 226 

Gerard, Edna 409 

Gibbs, E. H ,73 

(Jilchrist, George 208 

Gilmore, Thomas R ,76 

Gleason, H. \V ,j, 

Gossage, J. B 279 

Grace, James ^^g 

Grant, Ulysses S 87 

Gray, George 264 

Grimes, James ,,g 

Grinstead, E. W 25^ 



357 
28s 



H 



Hamblen, U 

Hamilton, A. A 

Hansen, Richard 409 

Harrison, Wm. H 5, 

Harrold, J.G „^ 

Hart, W. S 203 

Hayes, Rutherford B g. 

Hays, Wm L ^22 

Hazlett, Wm 413 

Hedge, M ^26 

Heitsman, P ^qq 

Hempstead, Stephen 115 

Henderson, J. S 351 

Hilleary, Lewis 

Himes, D. A 

Himes, E. K 

Himes, Jacob 266 

Hinesley, J. W 

Hites, E 

Hoffman, D A . 

Hoffman, R. C 

Hoffmire, Luther 

Hoffmire, T. T 

Hoopes, D. W 

Hoopes, J . B 



191 
.366 
•313 



.459 
..336 
.266 
.267 
■379 
■350 
•417 



INDEX. 



Jackson, Andrew ^, 

Jackson, Hon. C. J 257 

Jackson, Dr. M. L 24, 

Jackson, Samuel .27 

Janney, J. M ^55 

Jefferson, Thomas.. 27 

Jennings, Wm j^j 

Johnson. Abijah igo 

Johnson, Andrew 8- 

Johnson, Hon. J. K 188 

Johnson, Prof. R. H 196 

Johnson, Samuel 416 

Johnson, W. A 283 

Jones, Joseph ,86 

Jones, J. E 3,,^ 

Jones, J. G., . 248 

Jones, Samuel W ^3, 

Jones, Wm. G 253 j 



K 



Kalbach, Isaac 209 

Kalbach, John A 387 

Kentfield, C. W ... 

449 

Kinsman, J. N 250 

Kirkwood, Samuel J. ,27 

Kissick, Robert 28, 

Kleinkopf, Henry 335 

Klinker, Henry ^yj 

Kneudson, O. G 428 

KnowIton,S -5, 

Kriser, Jacob 233 



239 

Hoover, Wm. A 3^5 

Hopkins, John 333 

Hornbostcl, E. A 292 

Houtz, C J 

Howard, John ^^g 

Howe, Prof. W. I 

Howell, B. C ,,, 

„ , ^ 447 

Huber, Francis 252 

"""' A. G .„3^ 

«"!■. EC 3,'^ 

Hull. Jacob ^02 

Hussey, N. W 33^, 



Lacey, Hon. John F 286 

Lacey, J. M ^Oq 

Lafferty, George W 184 

Lambert, Rev. J. W 448 

Lamond, Mrs. Anna 378 

Larrabee, Wm ,^5 

Laughlin, D. F 377 

Lawrance, Rebecca 482 

Lawson, Hamilton 252 

Leighton, C ,^0 

Leighton, James 206 

Leighton, T 204 

Leighton, VV'm. M 424 

Lewis, A ,^^ 

Libby, J.R ;^,^ 

Lieurance, George 37^ 

Lincoln, Abraham 75 

Lister, John ,-8 

Little, H . 1 ■ .' , 



Lofland, C. E 3^3 

Lofland, Col. John 367 

Long, John 271 

Loughrey, John 3,5 

Loughridge, J 287 

Loughridge, Poultney 234 

Lowe, Ralph P ,23 

Lncas, H ^35 

Lukens, C. J, M. D 337 

Lunt, H. W j^j 

Lyman, Horace 425 

Lyons, David L ,73 

Lyons, Thomas 171 

Lyster, David 445 

Lytle, A. J 3^^ 

Lytle, John G ,4, 



M 



Madison, James 3, 

Martin, H. P ,82 

Martin, Samuel.. 209 

Mateer, John 213 

McCarty, Cornelius 224 

McCoy, Ben ^^g 

McClain, B. C... 
McClain, J. S .. 
McClain, Samuel 

.McCurdy, J. B 326 

McDonald, A... 
McDonald, T. E 
McFall, David... 
McFall. G. B.... 
McFall, G 



N 



Nelson, W. R ^^^ 

Newbold, Joshua G ,^3 

Newbold, Wm. F 3,2 

Newell, Thomas ^y^ 

Nichols, A. S 277 

^^^°=- T. J 4,8 

Norton, Perry ^jg 



I I 






229 
225 
240 



339 

366 

24' 

=35 

B.. Jr 251 



iMcFall, W. J. 
McLandsborough. Andrew. 

McMains, John 

McMasters, Mary D... .. 

McMillen, B. F 

McMulIin, J. W 

McNeill. H. W. 




397 
457 
■ -309 
.422 
.182 
.414 
•465 

McNeill, W. A ^66 

McSadden. Samuel K 372 

Merrill, Samuel ,35 

Middleton, Aaron 37, 

Middour, Samuel 

Miller, A. 

Mitchell, John 

Mitchell, Robert 

Mobley, J . B 

Mona, John 

Monroe, James 35 

Moore, Laban .479 

Moore, R. W 3,0 

Moore, Thomas 322 

Morgan, C. C 206 

Morgan, George C 325 

Morgan, Shadrach 229 

Motley, Joseph 25^ 

Murphy, Rev. Dennis 403 

Musgrove, W. C 259 

Myer, Lsaiah 216 

Myer5,J.C 264 

^'y=". J- L 299 



344 
■377 
■455 
■453 
.309 
.212 



o 



O'Carroll, Father M 204 

Ogborn.J.E 3 

Oll^r, G. W ,g^ 

Oswandle, Fred 320 

Owen, C. G., M. D ,50 



Paine, A. A 250 

Pearson, Wm., Jr 375 

Pearson, Rev. W.,Sr 401 

Perdue, B. R 216 

Pfoutz, G. W 338 

Phelps, Charles 355 

Phelps, Sylvester 406 

Pickrell, Isaiah 394 

Pierce, Franklin 7, 

Pilgrim, John R 3,2 

Polk, James K ^g 

Pomeroy, S. L 214 

Porter, John T .443 

Porter, N. D j^^ 

Preston, Byron W 211 

P'ice, L. D 4„ 

Prine, Daniel S 476 

Prine, George S ,53 

Prine, H. H ,87 

Prine, M. K ,89 

^""<=- W. H ^5, 






Q 



Quarton. W 1! 



R 



Ream. Benjamin 356 

Kedburn,J. B j^j 

Redburn, W. S .244 

Redlinger, V 3j„ 

Redman, Reuben 34, 



-.^r 



K-!^~^r^-^ 



r^" 



t ^ - ^TTppM 




INDEX. 



351 



Reed, Emory 39^ 

Reeves, Moses 35^ 

Reid. F. D 475 

Rhinehart, Solomon E 350 

Rice, James A 398 

Rice, Gen. S. A a6o 

Rice, M. M 169 

Roberts, James L 322 

Roberts,!.. B 460 

Robertson, Samuel 38a 

Rockwell, Alonzo 390 

Rodgcrs, A. M 41Q 

Rogers, Ashford 318 

Rogers, Daniel '1" 382 

Ross, David D . . 349 

Ros«, Nimrod 349 

Ruby, Andrew 384 

Russell. J. M... 388 

Ryan, Jesse K.. 396 

Kvan. ihomas H. B 385 



^:^ 

"U- 

11: 



X- : 



11 



SAmuels. James 424 

Sarvis, H 470 

Sarvis, H | 407 

Sch\iltz, John 26J 

Scott, John 314 

Scott, Orion C 450 

Scott, Rev. G. M 405 

Scarlc. C. P aa? 

Secvers, Byron V 452 

See vers, James 240 

Secvers. James A 246 

Secvers. J. t 248 

Scevers. Hi)n. \Vm- H 253 

Sellers, J. C 212 

Semplc. W. C 353 

Shangle, A. L 469 

Shaul, J. D 476 

Sheak, J. H 196 

Shecslcy, George 409 

Sheets, B. K 289 

Sherman. Biiren K 151 

Shoclcley, O. W 4'2 



q - 

~i : 

^ a 

I B 

1:1 



Shockley, Thomas M 416 

Shoemakc, Hcnj. F 370 

Shoemake, Isaac 360 

Shoemakc, John H 344 

Shoemake, M . I 235 

Shoemake, Wesley 394 

Shriver, L. P 284 

Sinclair, Samuel 263 

Small, Win ..429 

Smith, D. S 259 

Smith, J. F., M. n 475 

Smith, John H 371 

Smith, Hon. Wm. T 339 

Smith, W. T 399 

Sopher, Joseph 2:0 

Sophcr, Wm. K. 221 

Sopher, Wm. P 178 

Soults, J. A ...468 

SouUs, J oseph 456 

Souks, K. J 453 

Spencer, H 1 311 

Spenny, A. A 443 

Sprague, James A 432 

Spraguc, W, W 340 

Springer, Wm. M 207 

Stanton, Mahlon 386 

Steuari. Jaincs .^ 247 

Steward, C. E ...292 

Steward, George 321 

Steward, Wm. W 288 

Stewart, .Mexandcr - . .457 

Stewart, John 386 

Stewart, I-cvi 436 

Stewart, Wm 338 

Stone, William M 131 

Storm, Samuel 308 

Stringfellow, H. S 375 

Strom, G. G 170 

Swalen, A. W 461 



T 



Taylor, Zachary 63 

Tcbbctts, Charles E 446 



Thompson, Francis 460 

Thompson, I. S 467 

Thompson, L- R 375 

Thrash, John 224" 

Tice, Hon. H 354" 

Tice. Madison. 433 

Tilford, Robert 334 

Todd, B. F, 392 

Tredick, Wm. S 388 

Trueblood, Benj 373 

Iroy, C. R 236 

Tucker, John C 426 

Turner, Dr. George J 280 

'lurner, S . G 177 

Tyler, John 55 



Upton, \\'. 



Vail, David 421 

Valentine, E. L ...457 

\'analst, Alonzo 400 

Van Biiren, Martin 47 

Vermilyca, Wm 358 

Vernon, Jacob 303 

Vernon, Wm. E .• 193 

Victor, Adam 446 

Voorhces, John 408 



w 



Waggoner, D. C 455 

Waggoner, John 368 

Walling, James, Sr 302 

Warrington, A. \V. 943 

Washington, George 19 



Way. Joshua 413 

Welch, K. G 453 

Wells, George A i8t 

WcI's, Hannah 398 

Wells, Ncwcll 458 

West, C. B 193 

Wharion, Robert 389 

Whitacrc, 1 . H 314 

Whitaker, Reuben 331 

White, Abner C 415^! 

White, John 201 

White. John H 411 

White, J. y 2J^ 

Wiley, J. H s?. 

Wilkins, r>r. A. C 2.1: 

Wilkinson, John P 4:.< 

W'illhoite, Harriet '; 

Williams, John C ?' 1 

Williams. Hon. M. T 31- 

Williams. L. O 214 

Williams. Wm. F. 202 

Wilson, Milton . 456 

Wilson, Mitchcl 445 

\N'indcr, James 17: 

W'inder, W. W 47 

Wing. Charles r 

Wolcott. Wallace T i - 

Wolfe, Jacob 2 ; 

Woodruff, C :■" 

Woodworth,E. M 4 , 

Wyntore, .Amos 263 

Wymorc, F. M .. 33Q 



Y 



Young, Milton 400 




L^^i 



Zaring, J 

Zaring, J. W. 
Zear, John. . . 




^irai 







D3. 



-Adams, John 22 

Adams, John Quincy 38 

Allen. Capt. L. J 180 

Arthur, Chester A 98 

Briggs. .\nscl no 

Buchanan, James 74 

Carpenter, Cyrus Clay 138 

Cleveland, .S, Grover loa 

Fillmore. Millard 66 

Finley. J. W 362 

Finley, Mrs. Elizabeth 363 

Garfield, James A 94 

Gear, John H 146 

(.Irant. Ulysses S 86 



Grimes, James W 118 

Harrison, Wm. H 50 

Hayes, Rutherford B 90 

Hempstead, Stephen 114 

Hoopes, John B 938 

Howe, Prof.W. L 294 

Jackson, Andrew 43 

Jackson, C.J 256 

Jefferson, Thomas 26 

Johnson, Andrew 82 

Johnson, R. H 197 

Jones, S.W ..430 

Kirkwood, Samuel J 120 

Larrabec. VN'illiam 154 



Lincoln, Abraham 78 

Lowe, Ralph P 122 

Madison, James *o 

McNeill, W. A 47-1 

McNeill. H. W 464 

Merrill, Samuel 134 

M oil roc, J antes 34 

Ncwbold. Joshua G 142 

Nichols, A. S 274 

Nichols, Mrs. Mary 27s 

Oskaloosa Business College.. 293 

Oskaloosa College 515 

Pierce, Franklin 70 

Polk. James K 58 



Eta 



1^:: 



I 



Uicc, M. M 168 

Seevtrs, Hon.W.H 252 

Sherman, Buren R 150 

Sopher, Wm. R 218 

Sopher, Mrs. Ai;ncs 219 

Smith, Wm. T 328 

Stone, William N 130 

Taylor, Zachary 02 

Tyler, John 54 

Van Buren, Martin 46 

Washington. Cieorce 18 

White. John 'v* 

While. Marlh.i J uv 




rmiinrmnmi 




V A(| /^ Ar 




Id rj^Li ij i-:i 






552 



INDEX. 




HIST©RICJLm 






mi 



iHii! 



IH 



INTRODUCTORY 
INDIAN HISTORY 
EARLY SETTLEMENT 

ORGANIZATION 

Acts of County Judge. 
Acts of Board of Super 

visors 

WAR FOR THE UNIOIs' 
COURTS AND BAR 

EDUCATIONAL 

Oskaloosa College 
Penu College 
Oskaloosa Business Col 

lege 

THE PRESS 

Oskaloosa Herald 
Reform Leader 
The Times 

Democratic Con.serv'ator 
Saturday Globe 
New Sharon Star 
Oskaloosa Times 

MISCELLANEOUS 






■" <VV> " 






497 


Coal Interests 


522 


Madison 


499 


Agriculture 


523 


Monroe 


CITY OF OSKALOOSA 


525 


Pleasant Grove 


502 


City Government 


526 


Prairie 


508 


Educational 


527 


Richland 


505 


Religious 


528 


Scott 




Societies 


531 


Spring Creek 


505 


Banking 


532 


Union 




Gas Works 


533 


White Oak 


507 

509 

512 
514 


Electric Light 
Water Works 
Insurance 
Library 


533 
534 
534 
534 


VILLAGES 

Agricola 

Beacon 

Bellefoutaine 


516 


I iling 
Manufacturing 


534 
535 


Fremont 


294 


Fire Department 


535 


Granville 


517 
517 


TOWNSHIP HISTOR- 




Indianapolis 


IES 

Adams 


536 
536 


Lacey 
Leighton 


519 


Black Oak 


536 


Muchachinock 


519 


Cedar 


537 


New Sharon 


520 


East Des Moines 


537 


Olivet 


520 


West Des Moines 


538 


Oxford 


o21 


Garfield 


538 


Peoria 


521 


Harrison 


589 


Rochester 


522 


Jefferson 


539 


Taintor 




'i^^y^-'^ff^M^^ . 



imnu 



i/^i-'i-'r^"'^ 



■ J»n i«« T»«rTx irTriP3irr; 



i 



It 



^' 



'^ 



